Investigating Human Subsistence Strategies in Panamá during the Late Holocene

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Unraveling the Mysteries of the Isthmo-Colombian Area’s Past: A Symposium in Honor of Archaeologist Richard Cooke and His Contributions" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Subsistence strategies and foodways were at the heart of Richard Cooke's and colleagues' pioneering work in Panamá. Early work found that shifting resource reliance (terrestrial and marine) had impacts on the evolution of these early peoples’ cultures and potentially the surrounding ecosystems. Therefore, subsistence in this region has important historical and ecological implications, such as agricultural plants being transported during their domestication process, and marine resources changing with regional productivity. However, to date it has been difficult to separate these different foodways given analytical limitations. We examine the evolution of human diets (n > 60) across the Panamanian Isthmus over the last 6,000 years using classic δ15N and δ13C values of bulk isotopes of collagen coupled with cutting-edge compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids, which can identify the main protein and energy sources, and trophic position of people. Regardless of site, bulk and amino acid δ13C values showed a clear sex divergence, with males consuming more maize. Interestingly, δ15N values vary by site and temporal period, suggesting differing subsistence strategies and reliance on coastal resources. This work improves our ability to distinguish terrestrial and marine diets, better enabling us to unravel the interplay between human subsistence practices and the environment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Unraveling the Mysteries of the Isthmo-Colombian Area’s Past: A Symposium in Honor of Archaeologist Richard Cooke and His Contributions   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40459.0