Lifestyle, occupation, and whole bone morphology of the pre‐Hispanic Maya coastal population from Xcambó, Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

The present bioarchaeological study examines the external diaphyseal geometric properties of humeri, radii, femora and tibiae of the Classic period skeletal population of Xcambó , Yucatan, Mexico. The diaphysial proportions are evaluated using a biomechanical approach together with data from the material context and other osteological information. Our intent is to provide new answers to questions concerning lifestyle, domestic labour division and subsistence strategies of this coastal Maya settlement that was inhabited from the Late and Terminal Preclassic (300 BC-350 AD) to the Postclassic Period (900-1500 AD). Our results provide evidence for a marked sexual division of labour when compared with values from contemporaneous inland populations. The overall male and female loading patterns differ remarkably in terms of form and in bilateral comparison. A high directional asymmetry in the upper limbs is evident among males, a condition related to maritime transportation and trading activities. On the other hand, female upper limbs are characterized by very low side differences. Forces on the arms of women were probably dominated by food processing, in particular the grinding of grains or seeds. In the lower limbs, males show significantly higher anteroposterior bending strengths, which can be explained by greater engagement in transportation tasks and carrying heavy loads. In the course of the Classic period (350-900 AD), diachronic changes affect the male sample only, which suggests a shift of occupational pattern and physical demands. This shift, in turn, reflects Xcambó 's changing role as the centre of a densifying settlement area and its place in the trading activities of northern Yucatan. Other topics of discussion relate to general regional trends and local prehispanic subsistence strategies. Our conclusions emphasize the value of geometric long bone analysis in the reconstruction of activity patterns and lifestyles in ancient coastal settlements.

Trace-element evidence for foreigners at a Maya port in Northern Yucatan

“…A shift in lifestyle occurred during the Late Classic. Wanner et al (2007) noted that occupational activities (by means of the analysis of bone robusticity and geometric structure) decreased significantly in the male segment of the population during the Late Classic, when the skeletal evidence indicates a more relaxed, less physically strenuous lifestyle. Women, in turn, maintained the same activity patterns throughout the time span of occupation of the site.…”

Sexual dimorphism in diaphyseal cross‐sectional shape in the medieval Muslim population of Écija, Spain, and Anglo‐Saxon Great Chesterford, UK

“…Ruff & Hayes, 1983a,b;Ruff, 1987Ruff, , 1992Ruff, , 2000aBridges, 1989Bridges, , 1991Bridges, , 1993Larsen, 1997;Bridges et al, 2000;Ledger et al, 2000;Ruff & Larsen, 2001;Stock & Pfeiffer, 2001, 2004Lazenby, 2002;Holt, 2003;Weiss, 2003;Marchi et al, 2006;Sládek et al, 2006;Wescott, 2006;Carlson et al, 2007;Wanner et al, 2007). It is difficult to relate interpopulation or sex differences to specific activities, particularly for the upper limb due to its multifunctional usage in humans (Bridges, 1989;Stirland, 1993;Ruff & Larsen, 2001;Weiss, 2003), so studies are concerned with general activity levels.…”

Maids at the grindstone: A comparative study of New Kingdom Egypt grain grinders

“…Among these were compressed last dorsal vertebrae, arthritic big toes, and knee joint degeneration, which indicate sustained strain on the lower back, toes, and knees, as well as symmetrical muscle markers on the humerus (deltoid) and the radius (biceps), which show symmetrical development of the shoulder and arm muscles consistent with pushing a handstone across a quern (Molleson 1994). Similarly, a study of pre-Hispanic Maya in Mexico showed that females developed bilaterally symmetrical markers on the arms, which the authors attribute to food processing, particularly grinding, compared to males, in whom one dominant arm developed more than the other (Wanner et al 2007).…”