The Maya are a People of Movement: An Isotopic Assessment at Chactemal (Santa Rita Corozal), Northern Belize

Summary

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

Located in Corozal District in northern Belize, the coastal Maya archaeological site of Santa Rita Corozal, hereafter Chactemal, was continuously occupied from the Middle Preclassic (BCE 800–300) through the Late Postclassic (CE 1250–1532). While many sites in the Southern Lowlands experienced decline and abandonment in the Terminal Classic (CE 800–900), Chactemal flourished, reaching its apex in the Late Postclassic when it took on a position of regional power. It is not well-understood how mobility influenced this population growth. We measured stable oxygen isotopes of dental enamel (n=108 samples) and bone carbonate (n=96 samples) from 100 Ancestors recovered from Chactemal to diachronically assess movement. Approval for isotopic research was granted by the Belize Institute of Archaeology. Additionally, we co-developed this work alongside local Maya organizations and villages in Corozal District. δ18O values (mean= – 4.0 ‰ VPDB, SD= 1.4, range= – 7.6 ‰ to – 0.8 ‰ VPDB) indicate non-local Ancestors are present within the burial population and suggest non-local Ancestors from the Preclassic came from different places than those in the Late Postclassic. Chactemal’s geographic positioning on the coast, between two rivers, and within the border zone between the Northern and Southern Lowlands attracted people from other places throughout time.

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): 40228.0