Dogs in Mesoamerica of various sorts are known to have existed in prehispanic times as shown by archaeological and iconographical sources, and the testimonies of the 16th-century Spaniards.
The ancient Maya, a group of people who lived throughout southern Mexico and Central America, used domesticated dogs on a daily basis as a food source, hunting aide, and an element in religious and spiritual rituals.
During a portion of the Preclassic and Early Classic period (1200 BCE through 250 CE), dogs in Cuello, Belize were bred and killed once they reached one year of age.
Throughout the Preclassic period in the Yucatán region, dogs were not the primary meat supply, but archaeological evidence indicates they were a substantial part of the Maya diet.
Today, the Yucatec Maya continue to talk about their dog-eating ancestors and carry on the tradition of feeding dogs maize by giving them six to eight tortillas daily.
It was documented in the sixteenth century by Spanish explorers in Mérida, Yucatán that dogs were bred locally in pens, fed maize, and sold at market.
In the Popol Vuh, the K'iche' Maya creation story, dogs played important roles in certain events.
The moral of the story is “civilized” Maya make certain that dogs are fed on a decent human diet such as maize.
Another account in the Popol Vuh describes the Hero twins sacrificing a dog that belonged to the Lords of the Underworld, also known as Xibalba.
Dogs were found buried alongside humans in graves as well as in royal residences,[citation needed] presumably to guide their owners to the afterlife.
In picture K555, another vase painting shows a scene from the Popol Vuh with Dog asking Itzamná to return to Xibalba.