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About 2-3,000 years ago, antler racks from white-tail deer were carefully placed over certain burials, perhaps as a signature of status or other symbolic distinction. This deer antler cluster was recovered in a grave at Loma Sandia along with deer skull fragments, chipped stone tools, flakes, and a mano (hand stone used for grinding). Given that deer was the number one big game animal hunted in the region throughout most of prehistory (as it still is today), these animals must have symbolized success. At Loma Sandia, the antler rack offerings appear to have been associated only with adult men, and men would have been the main hunters. But at the Olmos Dam cemetery in San Antonio, antler racks also covered the graves of women and children. This suggests the ritual links were not as simple as merely honoring hunting success. UTSA-CAR Archives.

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