Abstract
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in skeletal tissues are widely used as indicators of prehistoric human diets. This technique distinguishes between the consumption of C3 and C4 plants and assesses the contribution of aquatic resources to otherwise terrestrial diets. Isotopic ratios in bone collagen emphasize dietary protein; those in bone apatite and tooth enamel reflect the whole diet. Bone collagen and apatite represent average diet over the last several years of life, while tooth enamel represents diet during the age of crown formation. The isotopic analysis of all three tissues in individuals at Maya sites in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico reveals variation in the importance of maize, a C4 plant, based on age, sex, status, and local ecological factors, as well as dramatic changes in subsistence patterns from the Preclassic to Postclassic periods. These results enable a tentative synthesis of the dynamic relationship between subsistence and sociopolitical developments in ancient Mesoamerica.
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