María Teresa Muñoz Espinosa – författare

“Los animales enseñaron el camino…”: La fauna de la Sierra Gorda queretana a través de sus representaciones cerámicas arqueológicas examines the past fauna of the Sierra Gorda region of Mexico, and its representation in archaeological ceramics. Queretaro's Sierra Gorda was declared a “Biosphere Reserve” on May 19, 1997, by presidential decree. As a natural area thus protected, there are almost 400,000 hectares of great biodiversity, in which there are at least 15 types and subtypes of different vegetation, more than 1800 species of plants, 124 of fungi and 550 species of vertebrates, among other elements that prove the natural wealth of the region. As part of the "Northern Archaeological Project of the State of Querétaro, Mexico" (PANQ), the book presents ceramic representations of the fauna of the region, relating them to the oral traditions that the inhabitants of the region have preserved until now. In so doing it demonstrates the deep interdependence of humans and animals, and analyses wider cultural interconnections across Mesoamerica. The book goes on to analyze some of these Mesoamerican cultural traits, although its main goal is to highlight the archaeological evidence that has been recovered by the project since 1990 in this still little-known region of ancient Mexico.