Maya Perspectives on Vipers: Traditional Knowledge, Use, and Perceptions in three Communities in Eastern Yucatán, Mexico

Resumen

Vipers (family Viperidae) are snakes with venom and solenoglyphous dentition. Four species of vipers are distributed throughout the Yucatán state, which have been closely associated with the traditional uses and knowledge of the Maya culture; however, projects focused on characterizing this relation are scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the traditional uses, knowledge, and perception of vipers among residents of three localities in eastern Yucatán, Mexico. The communities considered were Uayma, Xocén, and Yalcobá; in each, semi-structured interviews (n = 100) were conducted to determine the use, perceptions, and transmission of traditional knowledge surrounding vipers. In general, the inhabitants recognize the Yucatán Neotropical Rattlesnake (Crotalus tzabcan) as the most common viper, followed by the Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper). Regarding traditional nomenclature, the Yucatecan Cantil (Agkistrodon russeolus) was the species with the greatest number of names. The Yucatán Neotropical Rattlesnake (C. tzabcan) was the only species for which any use was recorded, including use as food, traditional medicine, and ornamentation. Most of the villagers perceive snakes negatively and, based on their empirical knowledge, consider it justified to kill them. On the other hand, the highest percentage of respondents indicated that vipers have declined, along with the traditional knowledge associated with them. It is necessary to further investigate the traditional uses and knowledge of vipers among rural communities in the Yucatán, as well as promote reassessment projects aimed at the conservation of this important biological group.