Geographical isotopes, migration and the Tlajinga District of Teotihuacan

Summary

The Tlajinga district was a possible southern entrance for visitors to the city of Teotihuacan. It was also a locus of craft specialization, especially of San Martin Orange ceramics in the later periods, yet was a cluster of common status neighborhoods. The Tlajinga 33 compound (33:S3W1) was extensively excavated 30 years ago, and recent excavations in two other compounds located along the southern Street of the Dead by the Tlajinga Teotihuacan Archaeological Project (PATT), have added to our knowledge about its residents. Oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis in bone and tooth enamel was conducted on some Tlajinga 33 skeletons and revealed that about 30% were migrants to the city. Recent analyses of the tooth enamel from newly excavated burials and additional Tlajinga 33 skeletons using oxygen and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope ratios have provided additional insights into the geographical origins of the residents of the Tlajinga barrio and the reconstruction of changes in residence since childhood. Implications of these new findings are examined in order to further understand the extent of migration into Tlajinga and the impact this had on maintaining its population.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• The Rise and Decline of Teotihuacan: Urbanism, Daily Life, and Regional Relations through Time

Keywords

Spatial Coverage