Exploring Migration and Kinship of the Ancient Maya through Isotopes and aDNA in NW Belize

Summary

As a uniquely sustained archaeological research program that has annually excavated in the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area for 25 years, the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP) offers a wealth of knowledge for bioarchaeological research. This paper examines ancient Maya burials from northwestern Belize, spanning the Late Preclassic (250 BCE – 250 CE) to the Terminal Classic (850 – 950 CE). Detailed here are stable isotope, ancient DNA, and osteological analyses from a small sub-set of individuals from the sites of Dos Hombres, Medicinal Trail, and Sak Chen. These data provide information regarding the migration, kinship, and health of the ancient Maya from northwestern Belize. The interplay between sustainability and population and demographic changes over time are postulated given the presented data and analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Polities, Hinterland Communities, and Everything in Between: Twenty-Five Years of Archaeological Research in Northwest Belize   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17015