A Re-Evaluation of the Isotopic and Archaeological Reconstructions of Diet in the Tehuacan Valley
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2574940 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Farnsworth, Paul B Farnsworth (0000-0001-5639-6276, University of California System, corresponding author), James E Brady (0000-0002-5223-6694, University of California, Los Angeles), Michael J Deniro (University of California, Los Angeles), Richard S Macneish (Boston University) |
| Year | 1985 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 102-116 |
| Publication date | 1985-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Antiquity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/280636 |
| OpenAlex | W1979920632 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 38 |
| References cited | 18 |
Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in collagen from bones of individuals who lived in the Tehuacan Valley during the period 8000-1000 years B.P. have been interpreted as indicating earlier use of maize and more utilization of legumes as food sources than is suggested by the occurrence of the remains of these plants in the coprolites and debris excavated along with the bones. Reassessment of the assumptions made in interpreting the bone collagen isotope ratios reduces some but not all of the discrepancy between the isotopic and archaeological reconstructions of diet. The original archaeological reconstruction relied entirely on remains from cave sites, thus introducing seasonal and locational biases into the dietary reconstruction. Using the bone collagen isotope ratios as a guide, we re-interpreted the archaeological data to produce a more complete picture of temporal changes in the overall diet. We suggest that heavy dependence on grains began in the Coxcatlan phase and then may have remained unchanged for the next 5,500-6,500 years. These conclusions, which are based on a relatively small isotopic data base, need to be verified by an extensive program of isotopic analysis of the floral, faunal, and human remains from Tehuacan
Archaeology · Biology · Cave · Geography · Human bone · Isotope · Isotope analysis · Isotopes of carbon · Isotopes of nitrogen · Radiocarbon dating · Stable isotope ratio · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Biochemistry · Chemistry · Ecology · Geology · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
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Formation Processes of the Archaeobotanical Record
The 15N/14N ratios of plants in South Africa and Namibia
Nitrogen isotopic ecology in southern Africa
The Inka mummy from Mount Aconcagua
An osteobiography of a Oaxacan late adolescent female
Mano size, stable carbon isotope ratios, and macrobotanical remains as multiple lines of evidence of maize dependence in the American southwest
Interpreting Past Human Diets Using Stable Isotope Mixing Models—Best Practices for Data Acquisition
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Relict canals of the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico
Indigenous agriculture in the Americas
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Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in the Iron Gates
The Calusa and prehistoric subsistence in central and south Gulf Coast Florida
Reconstructing Middle Horizon mobility patterns on the coast of Peru through strontium isotope analysis
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Extending the limits of paleodietary studies of humans with compound specific carbon isotope analysis of amino acids
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| Unique citing works | 38 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,93 |
| Citation span | 1985 - 2023 (39) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 38 |