Gender Divisions in Eating and Working: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of an Ancient Muisca Community (Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia, 1000–1400AD)

Summary

The Muisca inhabited a large territory in Northern South America (within present-day Colombia) and are often presented as a "classic chiefdom society." The roots of these interpretations can be traced back to European historical documents discussing Muisca socio-political life, which emphasized the role of social status and hierarchy within Muisca culture. The Muisca in particular have been held captive by the recordings of historical authors, and social structures observed through a European gaze have colored our interpretations of Muisca culture. New data from archaeological studies of Muisca sites are forcing a reevaluation of chiefdom models. This bioarchaeological study of diet and physical activity, based on 199 human burials from the site of Tibanica (Soacha, Colombia 1000-1400AD), will serve as a case study that focuses on the daily relationships that marked people along divisions between the sexes. Stable isotope analysis of tooth and bone samples indicate consumption of particular foods were tied to one’s age and sex. Cross-sectional geometry measures of long bones demonstrate a patterned, gendered division of labor. These divisions in diet and labor indicate that for the Muisca, gender was a very important social variable that united and separated groups in daily spheres of activity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21174