Tribute from the Underworld: The Historical Ecology of the Maya Postclassic Fish Trade with Otoliths from Mayapán and Caye Coco

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Preliminary results are presented for the analysis of fish otoliths from the Maya Postclassic sites of Mayapán in Mexico, and Caye Coco in Belize. Fish otoliths are used investigate seasonality of fish harvest for the inland fish trade, and to contrast the diversity, trophic levels, and population structure of fish between both the archaeology sites, and modern populations. The sustainability of Maya Postclassic fishing, the disappearance of important species from the ecosystem near the end of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) are explored. These themes are analyzed through a combination of data from thin-section analysis of seasonal growth rings, and computerized miromill sampling of stable isotope for estimations water temperature, salinity, and trophic dynamics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23560