Understanding “local”
Prehispanic Maya mobility and diet at Pacbitun, Belize, using strontium, oxygen, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen isotope values
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12371559 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carolyn Freiwald (0000-0001-6298-2255, Department of Sociology and Anthropology The University of Mississippi Mississippi USA, corresponding author), Asta Rand (Department of Archaeology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Canada), Sheldon Skaggs (Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Environmental Sciences Bronx Community College Bronx New York USA), Terry G Powis (0000-0002-1162-1924, Department of Geography and Anthropology Kennesaw State University Kennesaw Georgia USA) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/oa.3343 |
| OpenAlex | W4402275184 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
Classic period Maya populations were mobile, and both burial patterns and dietary analyses suggest that many movers were incorporated into local communities. This paper presents a multi‐isotopic (Sr, O, S, C, and N) study of the diet and mobility of 18 Late (AD 550–800) and Terminal Classic (AD 800–900) individuals from the site of Pacbitun, Belize. Three distinct isotope systems identify where people lived at different stages of life, from the childhood origins of migrant and local Pacbitun populations to their final residences. The enamel strontium isotope ratios of the Court 3 individuals were higher than local ranges established by faunal and human bone values, suggesting elite migration, or even residential mobility within the polity. Sulfur isotope values reveal information about the local population, where all but one individual in the sample lived at the site for many years before they died. The exception was an isotopically nonlocal individual in a dedicatory deposit, as reported in other studies. Diet also informs on the receiving community and how migrants assimilated, as people with local and nonlocal isotope values ate isotopically similar foods. Individuals from elite site core contexts and those in Pacbitun's peripheral settlements both consumed C 4 ‐enriched proteins, though there were more isotopically diverse protein sources in peripheral settlements during the Terminal Classic period. Sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen isotope data also reveal some differences in where food was acquired, including use of nonlocal fauna. Combining isotope systems that sample different body tissues also may blur the line between migrants and locals, terms that may describe the same person at different stages of life and show the need for a more nuanced discussion of ancient mobility
Archaeology · Carbon fibers · Geography · Isotopes of nitrogen · Isotopes of oxygen · Isotopes of strontium · Maya · Nitrogen · Nuclear chemistry · Strontium · Sulfur · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Materials Science · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Environmental Chemistry · Organic Chemistry
Dental Morphometric and Strontium Isotope Evidence for Population History at Tikal, Guatemala
Quantifying Inter-Laboratory Variability in Stable Isotope Analysis of Ancient Skeletal Remains
On the Use of Biomineral Oxygen Isotope Data to Identify Human Migrants in the Archaeological Record
Experimental Evidence for the Relationship of the Carbon Isotope Ratios of Whole Diet and Dietary Protein to Those of Bone Collagen and Carbonate
The application of sulphur isotope analyses in archaeological research
Immigration to Tikal, Guatemala
Kings and commoners at Copan
Social identity and geographic origin of Maya burials at Actun Uayazba Kab, Roaring Creek Valley, Belize
Strontium Isotopes from the Earth to the Archaeological Skeleton
Coastal and inland patterns of faunal exploitation in the prehispanic northern Maya lowlands
Re-interpreting ancient Maya mobility
A multi-isotopic (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) faunal baseline for Maya subsistence and migration studies
Local water resource variability and oxygen isotopic reconstructions of mobility
Isotopic analysis of newly discovered fragments of an Ulúa Valley marble vase at the ancient Maya site of Pacbitun, Belize
Identifying immigrants to Tikal, Guatemala
Alkaline cooking and stable isotope tissue-diet spacing in swine
Trace-element evidence for foreigners at a Maya port in Northern Yucatan
Survey, Settlement, and Population History at the Ancient Maya Site of Pacbitun, Belize
Excavations at Pacbitun, Belize
Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Analysis of Human Dental Enamel From the Caribbean
Detection of breastfeeding and weaning in modern human infants with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios
The diet‐body offset in human nitrogen isotopic values
Analysis of the Context and Contents of an Ulua-Style Marble Vase from the Palmarejo Valley, Honduras
Strontium Isotopes and the Study of Human Mobility in Ancient Mesoamerica
Two Trophy Skulls from Pacbitun, Belize
Ancient and Modern Maya Exploitation of theJuteSnail (Pachychilus)
Intensive Agriculture, Social Status, and Maya Diet at Pacbitun, Belize
Terminal Classic residential histories, migration, and foreigners at the Maya site of Ucanal, Petén, Guatemala
Isotopic proveniencing at Classic Copan and in the southern periphery of the Maya Area
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |