Abstract:Objectives: The ancient city of Chichén Itzá in the northern Yucatán of Mexico was one of the most important in the Maya area, but its origins and history are poorly understood. A major question concerns the origins of the peoples who founded and later expanded the ancient city. Hundreds of people were ritually executed and their bodies thrown into the waters of the Sacred Cenote at Chichén. Materials and methods: In this study, we use strontium and oxygen isotopes to study the place of origin of a large sampl… Show more
“…For example, small numbers of samples with narrow ranges may include outlier values that would be considered “local” in a larger dataset in an area with greater geologic diversity and/or catchment use. In addition, strontium isotope values in the Maya region are similar to those identified elsewhere in Meso- and Central America and the Caribbean (Laffoon et al 2012; Miller Wolf and Freiwald 2018; Price et al 2008, 2019). Isotope values are simply numbers, and additional lines of evidence, from texts to burial goods, are critical for the interpretation of their meaning.…”
Section: Isotopic Migration Methodssupporting
confidence: 79%
“…Figure 2.Strontium isotope values associated with Postclassic and Colonial centers in and around the Maya region. For detail, see Freiwald (2020a), Freiwald et al (2019), Miller Wolf and Freiwald (2018), Ortega-Muñoz et al (2019), Price et al (2006, 2008, 2019), and Suzuki et al (2015). …”
Section: Isotopic Migration Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Coastal Yucatan sites El Rey and Tulum had in-migration from one or more locations to the south (Ortega-Muñoz et al 2019), as did Mayapan, where movement into the center may have originated in the Peten and the proximity of the Maya Mountains (Wright 2007:8, Figure 3). Nonlocal individuals recovered from the cenote at Chichen Itza also show movement from the south, even as the context complicates specific interpretations about when that movement occurred or the type of migration a nonlocal isotope value represents (Price et al 2019). These findings may reflect longstanding relationships among populations in the northern Yucatan and Peten that created migration streams with some time depth (Rice 2020; Shiratori 2017).…”
Section: Precolonial and Contact-period Migration And Mobilitymentioning
Colonialism came late to northern Guatemala. The Spanish began to establish missions in the Peten Lakes region in the early 1700s, nearly 200 years after initial contact with the Mayas. Excavations in 2011–2012 at the Mission San Bernabé revealed European goods, nonnative animal species, and burial patterns that marked a new lifestyle. Who lived at the Mission San Bernabé, and where did they come from? The Spanish resettled indigenous populations to facilitate the colonization process; however, isotopic data are inconsistent with large population movements. Instead, strontium and oxygen isotope values in the tooth enamel and bones of individuals buried at the mission suggest a mostly local population. The data suggest in-migration from Belize, a region under nominal Spanish control, but with pre-Hispanic ties to the Peten. Changes did not come from migrants crossing a border; instead, the border itself moved and brought the colonial world to the Peten Mayas.
“…For example, small numbers of samples with narrow ranges may include outlier values that would be considered “local” in a larger dataset in an area with greater geologic diversity and/or catchment use. In addition, strontium isotope values in the Maya region are similar to those identified elsewhere in Meso- and Central America and the Caribbean (Laffoon et al 2012; Miller Wolf and Freiwald 2018; Price et al 2008, 2019). Isotope values are simply numbers, and additional lines of evidence, from texts to burial goods, are critical for the interpretation of their meaning.…”
Section: Isotopic Migration Methodssupporting
confidence: 79%
“…Figure 2.Strontium isotope values associated with Postclassic and Colonial centers in and around the Maya region. For detail, see Freiwald (2020a), Freiwald et al (2019), Miller Wolf and Freiwald (2018), Ortega-Muñoz et al (2019), Price et al (2006, 2008, 2019), and Suzuki et al (2015). …”
Section: Isotopic Migration Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Coastal Yucatan sites El Rey and Tulum had in-migration from one or more locations to the south (Ortega-Muñoz et al 2019), as did Mayapan, where movement into the center may have originated in the Peten and the proximity of the Maya Mountains (Wright 2007:8, Figure 3). Nonlocal individuals recovered from the cenote at Chichen Itza also show movement from the south, even as the context complicates specific interpretations about when that movement occurred or the type of migration a nonlocal isotope value represents (Price et al 2019). These findings may reflect longstanding relationships among populations in the northern Yucatan and Peten that created migration streams with some time depth (Rice 2020; Shiratori 2017).…”
Section: Precolonial and Contact-period Migration And Mobilitymentioning
Colonialism came late to northern Guatemala. The Spanish began to establish missions in the Peten Lakes region in the early 1700s, nearly 200 years after initial contact with the Mayas. Excavations in 2011–2012 at the Mission San Bernabé revealed European goods, nonnative animal species, and burial patterns that marked a new lifestyle. Who lived at the Mission San Bernabé, and where did they come from? The Spanish resettled indigenous populations to facilitate the colonization process; however, isotopic data are inconsistent with large population movements. Instead, strontium and oxygen isotope values in the tooth enamel and bones of individuals buried at the mission suggest a mostly local population. The data suggest in-migration from Belize, a region under nominal Spanish control, but with pre-Hispanic ties to the Peten. Changes did not come from migrants crossing a border; instead, the border itself moved and brought the colonial world to the Peten Mayas.
“…The taxonomical composition of the assemblages suggests a high diversity of animal utilization, especially in domestic contexts most likely consumed as food resources. However, a different pattern of the role of animal protein in the human diet is suggested by isotopic evidence, as individuals from Yaxuna (Mansell et al 2006) and victims from the Sacred Cenote in CI (Price et al 2019) indicated a diet mostly based on maize consumption and less animal protein consumption.…”
Zooarchaeological data are presented to examine aspects of animal resources utilization at Chichen Itza and Isla Cerritos during the Terminal Classic. Through the review of zooarchaeological records, a differential pattern emerges based on contextual and environmental origins of the identified taxa, highlighting the ritual importance of coastal species at Chichen Itza. In addition, the transportation network of animals and animal parts from the peninsular interior to Isla Cerritos and coastal areas towards Chichen Itza is outlined. The reviewed zooarchaeological evidence of both settlements represents the first effort to rethink and heighten understanding of the relationship between the northern Maya capital and its coastal outpost during the Terminal Classic, profiling the diverse environments being exploited and differential utilization in the coast and the interior of the Northern Lowlands.
“…1,2). The site was a politically powerful settlement and ceremonial center that participated in highland exchange 2020), Hodell et al (2004), and Price et al (2008Price et al ( , 2019. Note the Metamorphic Province contains the Motagua Valley, with a 87 Sr/ 86 Sr range of 0.07042-0.7073.…”
This study provides an isotopic examination of both human and animal paleodiets and mobility patterns at a highland Maya community. Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, was a large Prehispanic center located in a distinctly cooler, drier setting compared with the majority of Maya sites in the surrounding lowlands. Previous archaeological research at Kaminaljuyu revealed it played an important political and economic role in the Maya region, assisting in the obsidian trade network and maintaining ties with communities as far away as Teotihuacan in central Mexico. By examining the strontium (87Sr/86Sr), carbon (δ13C), and oxygen (δ18O) isotope values from dental enamel of humans and terrestrial mammals at the site, this study provides direct evidence of long-distance animal trade, explores the nature and timing of such activities, and compares highland dietary patterns with faunal studies in the lowlands. Our results indicate that isotopically non-local humans and animals are most frequently found in special and ceremonial contexts, indicating that long-distance movements of people and products were motivated for politically or ritually significant events. Although dietary patterns showed cross-species variation, diets within species were similar between highland and lowland settings.
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