Could the Aztecs have domesticated the Collared Peccary

The Collared Peccary is not the name of the greatest man stripper under the sun, but is a species of mammal in the family Tayassuidae found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as Javelina, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family. The species is also known as the musk hog.

Although somewhat related to the pigs and frequently referred to as one, this species and the other peccaries are no longer classified in the pig family, Suidae.

Now, theoretically, if the Aztecs had domesticated these animals, the history of the Spanish conquest may have ended differently and as CGP Grey explained in one of his videos, just because a species looks like another, the internal behavior affect whether or not ancient people could domesticate them.

Horse vs Zebra is his example, but does pig vs Peccary fall into this as well?

Could the Aztecs have domesticated this pig-like animal? If they could, when is the earliest they could have?

posted over 7 years ago

Uncle Tres‭

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