Dietary Practices of the Muisca at Nueva Esperanza Archaeological Site during the Late Muisca Period (1000 AD - 1600 AD)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study analyzes the impact of environmental stressors on dietary practices within the Muisca society at the Nueva Esperanza archaeological site in the Cundiboyacense highlands during the Late Muisca Period (1000 AD - 1600 AD). This coincides with climatic changes associated with the beginning of the period known as the "Little Ice Age,” which was a general cooling of the environment that impacted food production around the world. This research combines analysis of stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13C), phytoliths in dental calculus, and identification of skeletal pathologies associated with nutrition to examine the effects of these climatic changes and cultural responses to the reduction in food resources. We analyzed individuals from two different occupations during the Lat Muisca Period; cut 4 (n=13, radiocarbon dated to 1024 – 1155 AD) and cut 13 (n=22 radiocarbon dated to 1429 – 1522 AD). The results suggest that while this is a hierarchical group, their distribution of resources was more egalitarian than other chiefdoms.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38409.0