Embodying colonialism and early capitalism: Comparing cattle body uses in the Spanish colonies

Cattle were introduced to the Caribbean and subsequently to the mainland during early European colonization, significantly impacting both European settlers and Indigenous communities. This research utilizes zooarchaeological analysis of cattle remains to explore how cattle processing and butchering techniques reflect the rise of extractive economic systems characteristic of early capitalism in the Spanish colonies. This study examines the pivotal role cattle played in the economic and cultural dynamics of the Spanish colonies, particularly in Antigua Guatemala and the Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi, Nogales, Arizona. By using these two distinct colonial sites as illustrations, the study shows how extractive colonialist practices and emergent capitalist values of aggregation and efficiency were incorporated in the bodies of colonial cattle, facilitating the transformation of local economies and social structures.