MEMORIA ETNOZOOLÓGICA: EL CASO DE LA NUTRIA NEOTROPICAL (Lontra longicaudis annectens) EN EL SUR DEL ISTMO DE TEHUANTEPEC, MÉXICO

Abstract

The particular abundance of zoomorphic figurines found in different archaeological sites and the diverse animal rock representations in many shelters and caves suggest a particular relevance of native fauna in the construction of the regional cultural landscape and over time. Reasoning the landscape as an environment, and at the same time as heritage articulated by places where stories are woven and carry identity, the present approach to those memories starts from the place name Guiigu' Bi'cunisa not only as a geographical descriptor, but also as the main setting in which the oral and written tradition, link different material and symbolic elements between the neotropical otter and the inhabitants of different localities located along the river known as "Los Perros". In particular, the analysis of the tangible or intangible forms in the landscape composition is practiced through the articulation of various traditional zoological notions, compiled mainly among Zapotec speakers of the Isthmus, regarding said evidence, as well as the biological and ethological data of this species. As a historical process that combines elements of the environment and the labeling of certain prints, both myths and legends as well as various musical, plastic and artistic expressions, provide new information on the importance of native fauna in various expressions of identity and as part of the scaffolding in appropriation. culture of the territory and the regional landscape. We found that the man-fauna frameworks, as well as the interactions between people and the feelings of closeness or affinity for certain spaces and certain events, are not only remembered but also incorporated as life stories.