Bioarchaeological Insights into Social Resilience and Change during the Postclassic at the Ancient Purépecha City of Angamuco, Michoacán, Mexico

Summary

Little is known about the impact of Purépecha Empire formation on the skeletal health and well being of communities within the core zone of the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin, Michoacán, during the Postclassic period (AD 1000-1500). Here we report on recent bioarchaeological investigation of 19 mortuary contexts from the ancient Purépecha city of Angamuco located within the imperial heartland. We have identified at least seven different mortuary treatments from Angamuco and we compare these contexts with what is known from other Tarascan sites. A total of forty individuals were examined from the burials, including four males, thirteen females, thirteen individuals of indeterminate sex, and ten subadults. All of the individuals were examined for evidence of nonspecific indicators of physiological stress (porotic hyperostosis, dental enamel defects, periosteal reactions), disease and systemic stress, traumatic injury, degenerative diseases, and body modification, among other conditions. These pathological conditions, coupled with the results of stable isotopic analysis of bone carbonate and collagen, yield important insights regarding the impact of empire formation on the Angamuco population.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22275