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

PLoS One. 2021 Aug 12;16(8):e0254992. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254992. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Maya archaeologists have long been interested in understanding ancient diets because they provide information about broad-scale economic and societal transformations. Though paleodietary studies have primarily relied on stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen to document the types of food people consumed, stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis can potentially provide valuable data to identify terrestrial, freshwater, or marine/coastal food sources, as well as determine human mobility and migration patterns. Here we assess applications of δ34S for investigating Maya diet and migration through stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen (δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) from 114 individuals from 12 sites in the Eastern Maya lowlands, temporally spanning from the Late Preclassic (300 BCE-300 CE) through Colonial periods (1520-1800 CE). Results document a diet dominated by maize and other terrestrial resources, consistent with expectations for this inland region. Because δ34S values reflect local geology, our analyses also identified recent migrants to the Eastern lowlands who had non-local δ34S signatures. When combined with other indicators of mobility (e.g., strontium isotopes), sulfur isotopic data provide a powerful tool to investigate movement across a person's lifespan. This study represents the largest examination of archaeological human δ34S isotope values for the Maya lowlands and provides a foundation for novel insights into both subsistence practices and migration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Archaeology
  • Belize
  • Bone and Bones / chemistry
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis
  • Collagen / chemistry
  • Diet*
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Human Migration*
  • Humans
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Sulfur Isotopes / analysis*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Sulfur Isotopes
  • Collagen

Grants and funding

Funding for previously unreported carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopic analyses presented in this paper was provided by Baylor University (JAH), The Pennsylvania State University (DJK), the University of Pittsburgh Center for Comparative Archaeology (CEE; https://www.comparch.pitt.edu/), the Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology (AJR; https://capa-acap.net/), and Social Sciences Research Council of Canada (#767-2014-2712; AJR; https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.