Reconstructing Lifeways at Kichpanha: Stable Isotope Insights into Ancient Maya Movement and Diet from the Preclassic to Early Postclassic Periods
Author(s): Angelina Locker
Year: 2025
Summary
This is an abstract from the "Sessions in Honor of Dr. Fred Valdez Jr. and His Contributions to Archaeology, Part 2" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
<html>
Kichpanha, located in northern Belize’s chert-bearing zone, offers a comprehensive view of prehistoric lifeways, spanning the Archaic (BCE 8000–1000) through the Postclassic (CE 950-1530). Multiple Southern Lowland sites had continuous occupation through the Terminal Classic (CE 850 – 950) to Postclassic transition; however, Kichpanha is distinct in that it was abandoned for approximately 100 years before being resettled in the Postclassic. This study aims to understand Kichpanha’s settlement history and how people’s movement and diet may have influenced its brief abandonment. We measured carbon and oxygen isotopes of bone (n=59) and enamel (n=100) carbonates as well as carbon and nitrogen isotopes of collagen (n=80), representing 72 individuals from the Preclassic (BCE 1000 – CE 250) to Postclassic. δ<sup>18</sup>O data (mean = -2.6 ‰ VPDB, SD = 1.4, range = -9.3 ‰ to +0.9 ‰ VPDB) suggest that although some individuals may have been born or spent time elsewhere, they lived most of their lives at Kichpanha, with mobility mainly occurring during the Late and Terminal Classic. Dietary isotope data show consistent eating habits over time, with no significant dietary shifts. These data indicate continuity of a local group of people, with an influx of migration immediately preceding Kichpanha’s brief abandonment.
</html>
Cite this Record
Reconstructing Lifeways at Kichpanha: Stable Isotope Insights into Ancient Maya Movement and Diet from the Preclassic to Early Postclassic Periods. Angelina Locker. Presented at The 90th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2025 ( tDAR id: 510219)
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 51637