Montezuma’s zoo or animal collection

[carlos55]

Moctezuma y su zoológico. Así era el vivario de Torre Latinoamericana
Was the animal collection that was held by The Aztec ruler Montezuma and described by the Spanish conquistadores Bernal Diaz del Castillo and Hernán Cortés really a zoo ? In the interesting article experts discuss the characteristics of the collection and its functions.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Moctezuma y su zoológico. Así era el vivario de Torre Latinoamericana
Was the animal collection that was held by The Aztec ruler Montezuma and described by the Spanish conquistadores Bernal Diaz del Castillo and Hernán Cortés really a zoo ? In the interesting article experts discuss the characteristics of the collection and its functions.

Really interesting article and thank you for sharing @carlos55 !

I always thought that the collection / menagerie of Moctezuma couldn't really fit easily into the old world category of a zoo because of its religious significance and I think the article just confirms this in my mind.

Interestingly I think there are some parallels / similarities with Moctezuma's menagerie with practices of keeping menageries of wild animals in Pre-Dynastic Egypt.

Top 10 Discoveries of 2009 - World's First Zoo - Hierakonpolis, Egypt - Archaeology Magazine Archive

 

[Azamat Shackleford]

Happened to stumble across this topic, and I was actually reading a bit about zoos back then!

Speaking of Hierakonpolis, the inhabitants weren't treated so well back then...

Ancient Egyptian Animal Skeletons Reveal Injuries From Beatings | Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences