Dietary Variation at Point San Jose, San Francisco: Stable Isotope Evidence from a Late 19th Century Medical Waste Pit

Summary

This study used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to evaluate dietary variation among 30 adult individuals from a commingled assemblage recovered at Point San Jose (now Fort Mason), California (1863-1903). These remains comprise mostly middle-aged adults, both male and female, and two or more ancestral groups. The assemblage was recovered from a medical waste pit with evidence of anatomical dissection, suggesting that these individuals were likely of low socioeconomic status. Right tali (MNI=22) and eight skulls, a total sample of 30, were sampled for isotopic analysis.

Stable isotope data from the Point San Jose (PSJ) sample were compared to two other contemporaneous samples: the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) cemetery sample in California and a multi-regional, North American sample. Analyses suggested that PSJ δ13C collagen values were distinct from all groups except SCVMC, while δ15N values were notably different from all groups except SCVMC and the southern U.S. sample. Bone apatite carbon values further contextualized these results. Despite diverse ancestries and different burial contexts, this study tentatively suggested that Bay Area Californians of low socioeconomic status shared a similar diet during this period.

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): 21466