Bona Fide: Advances in Ancient Maya Bioarchaeology from Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "“The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya, Part II" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Bioarchaeological studies have taken a central role in developing our current understanding of the sociopolitical and economic organization of the ancient Maya. This is in large part due to advances in methods and theory that allow a deeper contextualization of the biocultural processes in which human groups were enmeshed. Advancements in paleogenomics and biogeochemistry have drawn attention for the unprecedented interpretations they allow us to make about paleodemography, diet, and mobility (Ebert et al. 2021; Freiwald 2011; Green 2016). The bedrock of Belizean bioarchaeology, however, remains grounded in macroscopic analyses of human skeletal and dental remains. Contributions to biological profile estimation, paleopathology, body modification, complex mortuary contexts, and taphonomy from Belizean datasets shape our understanding of the biocultural aspect of the lived Maya experience. Bioarchaeological work in Belize also urges the field forward by incorporating unique theories such as identity creation (Geller 2014; Piehl 2006), life course and history (Wroble and Cucina, in press), and queer theory (Nissen 2015). The growth within the field of bioarchaeology, spearheaded by work in Belize, will continue to allow researchers to better use the osteological and dental data to inform the social, economic, and political narrative of the Maya in Belize and broader Mesoamerica.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• “The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya, Part II

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39593.0