ABSTRACT
The six coprolites from preceramic Guila Naquitz were examined visually before being subjected to detailed phosphate analysis. Two of them had a relatively smooth exterior, were heavy and hard in texture, and had a dirty, putty-like appearance, with embedded hairs and bone in one case and hairs only in the other. The other four specimens did not show their origin as definitely, either by shape, size, weight, or appearance. The absence of bone suggests that the victim had been an animal larger than a mouse or rat, but on the other hand it had definitely not been either deer or peccary, both of which have very distinctive hairs. Until the hairs in the coprolite can be identified, it is impossible to say whether they come from the victim or from the carnivore’s grooming itself. Coprolite 9b contained meat protein remains, with bone fragments and chewed hair fragments as well as grass leaf tissue, possible bean pod tissue, and Opuntia epidermis.
