Stable Isotopic Evidence of Ancient Maya Diet at Caledonia, Cayo District, Belize

Abstract

The skeletal remains of 18 individuals interred at the ancient Maya site of Caledonia (100 to 1000 C.E.), located in the Cayo District of Belize, w ere sampled for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis in order to reconstruct their diet. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in 18 bone collagen samples and stable carbon isotope ratios in bioapatite from 15 bone and 6 tooth enamel samples were assessed. Small sample sizes precluded the assessment of dietary variation with respect to age, sex, social status or time period among the Caledonia Maya. However, the sampled individuals consumed a varied diet consisting of maize, supplemented with some C 3 plants, terrestrial herbivores and/or lower order freshwater resources such as snails and molluscs and possibly maize-fed animals. This dietary variability with an emphasis on maize is unsurprising given the biological diversity surrounding the site and the known importance of this crop to the ancient Maya. As expected, the isotopic values from Caledonia are similar to those from nearby sites from similar time periods. However, four individuals exhibit a marine dietary signature, possibly indicating inland trade of marine resources from coastal sites, or the migration of coastal people to Caledonia. This study demonstrates the validity of sampling small, fragmented collections from minor Maya centres in order to gain valuable insight into ancient Maya dietary practices.

Sulfur isotopes as a proxy for human diet and mobility from the preclassic through colonial periods in the Eastern Maya lowlands

“…Values for the Vaca Plateau are expected to be slightly higher. The δ 34 S values from 14 human bone samples from the site of Caledonia in the Vaca Plateau (also included in this study) produced a range of δ 34 S values between +7.0 and +14.0 ‰, consistent with predicted values for this part of the Eastern Maya lowlands (though overlapping with predicted values for several regions) [ 90 , 104 ].…”

“…The three Classic period burials contained the remains of multiple individuals, two of which (Burials 1 and 4) have been interpreted as sequentially used family crypts. Previous δ 13 C and δ 15 N analyses of human bone collagen and apatite ( δ 13 C values) identified a maize-based diet supplemented by other plants and animal protein [ 104 ]. Stable oxygen isotope analysis of the bone and tooth bioapatite also show that most were local to the Vaca Plateau, although four individuals may have moved to the site from areas with higher δ 18 O values, perhaps from the upper Belize Valley [ 124 ].…”

Human dietary assessment in the Pre-colonial Lesser Antilles: New stable isotope evidence from Lavoutte, Saint Lucia

“…Lastly, the lack of correlation between δ 13 C co and δ 13 C en , is perhaps more unexpected as moderate to strong correlations have been reported for populations both with (Loftus and Sealy, 2012) and without (France and Owsley, 2013) access to marine resources. However, assessment of similar data sets from archeological populations in Mesoamerica (e.g., Rand et al, 2013;Somerville et al, 2013) and in the Caribbean (Laffoon et al, 2013;Laffoon and de Vos, 2011;Norr, 2002;Stokes, 1998) reveals that δ 13 C co and δ 13 C en are often not well correlated, consistent with the notion that these two isotope proxies reflect different aspects of diet in biocultural contexts where dietary energy and protein sources vary independently in δ 13 C. Fig. 3.…”

“…Perhaps unexpectedly, the Lavoutte data plot in the middle of the chart with most samples falling outside of the 95% confidence intervals of both regression lines or within the intervals for the C 3 -protein linear regression, with only two samples plotting within the confidence intervals for the C 4 /marine protein linear regression. The possibility that there are unresolved limitations with these published regression lines has to be considered (e.g., Rand et al, 2013). However, if accurate, these patterns suggest a large non-marine protein component to the diet at Lavoutte.…”

Examining Chronological Trends in Ancient Maya Diet at Minanha, Belize, Using the Stable Isotopes of Carbon and Nitrogen

“…to A.D. 1260). The Minanha sample size is similar to other single-site isotope studies throughout Mesoamerica (e.g., Coyston et al 1999; Freiwald 2011; Rand et al 2015; Somerville et al 2016; White and Schwarcz 1989; White et al 2001; Williams et al 2009), although it is important to recognize that small samples may not always be representative of the larger population.…”