Abstract

MENDOZA-VELAZQUEZ, Oscar Miguel  and  GOMEZ-CRUZ, Aaron. Use of wild mammals in a Tzotzil indigenous community: An ethnozoological tool to understand biodiversity. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2024, vol.40, e4012649.  Epub Apr 04, 2025. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2024.4012649.

It is recognized that in Mexico, Chiapas is one of the states with the greatest richness of wild mammals, coupled with a cultural diversity made up of a complex ethnic mosaic, which possess important knowledge about the traditional use of these organisms. In the municipality of Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, is the only Tzotzil settlement in the Central depression, where the Tzotzil Carnival takes place annually. The objective of this study was to identify the mammals used in this tradition. For five years, direct observations, photographic records, open interviews and review of historical records of presence were carried out to identify the species of mammals used. 14 species of wild mammals traditionally used were identified, of which four are under some risk category in NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 and two on the IUCN Red List. We present the first record of Leopardus wiedii and Dicotyles tajacu for this region, in addition to the second record of Spilogale angustifrons and Potos flavus, after more than a century and almost seven decades ago, respectively. These records play an important role for the development of conservation strategies that safeguard the biological and cultural diversity of the Tzotzil region of Chiapas.

Keywords : Conservation; Central depression; First record; Mammals; Tropical deciduous forest.

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