Stable isotope analysis of animal diets at the Postclassic regional capital of Mayapan

Summary

Subsistence economies during the Postclassic Period (ca. AD 1000-1524) in the northern Maya lowlands were shaped by a range of strategies that included agriculture, the cultivation of wild plants, hunting, trade and market exchange, and the management of animals. Stable isotope data from archaeological faunal remains offer important dietary information to reconstruct the subsistence strategies during this period. In this paper, we present paleodietary data from faunal remains recovered from domestic contexts at the Late Postclassic Maya center of Mayapan. Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analyses of bone collagen are used to identify the diets of wild herbivores and managed animals. The isotopic data indicate two distinct groups consistent with the consumption of wild tropical plants and diets high in maize. The heterogeneity of wild species at Mayapan suggests the hunting of wild game composed an essential component of the coastal-inland economic system. The results also indicate that the dogs and some turkeys had distinctive isotopic signatures indicative of animal management by humans. Based on comparisons with a large sample of isotope measurements on humans from the site, we distinguish managed animals with isotopic values within the range of human diets.

Cite this Record

Stable isotope analysis of animal diets at the Postclassic regional capital of Mayapan. Richard George, Claire Ebert, Brendan Culleton, Marilyn Masson, Douglas Kennett. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 429932)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.353; max lat: 23.08 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14609