Stable Isotope Analysis of the Early Agriculture Period at La Playa (SON:F:10:3), Sonora, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Stable isotopic analyses of carbon and nitrogen in bone can provide insight into the consumption of plants and animals. Bone collagen differentially tracks the consumption of proteins, and bone apatite reflects individual’s diet through the intake of lipids, protein, and carbohydrates. Analyses of 29 individuals from the Early Agricultural period (EAP) site of La Playa (SON:F:10:3) demonstrate occupants were consuming diets that heavily relied on plants with CAM and C4 photosynthetic pathways throughout the EAP. Analysis of 11 individuals from the San Pedro phase (3500–2800 BP) shows collagen δ13C values from −7.6‰ to −10.6‰ and δ13C apatite values from −2.7‰ to −7.1‰. During the subsequent Cienega phase (2800–1800 BP), 18 individuals have collagen δ13C values ranging from −8.4‰ to −12.05‰ and δ13C apatite values of −3.8‰ to −6.5‰. Several of these differences are statistically significant. Overall, these dietary patterns indicate reduced variability in individual consumption rather than a strong directional shift in diet over time associated with greater investments in maize agriculture in the Sonoran Desert.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36424.0