Talking with the dead from southern Mexico: Tracing bioarchaeological foundations and new perspectives in Oaxaca

Abstract

In recent years, bioarchaeological research has emerged as one of the principal tools for studying diverse aspects of ancient society through the analysis of human remains. Oaxaca, Mexico is a culturally diverse region of Mesoamerica that today boasts at least sixteen discrete ethnolinguistic groups. Bioarchaeology in Oaxaca has traditionally focused on the Late Formative and Classic period (500BCE–800CE) Zapotec city of Monte Albán, and on its hinterland. Largely descriptive, these studies provided basic discussions of health, nutrition, and funerary offerings. Beyond the Valley of Oaxaca, much less comprehensive bioarchaeological research has been undertaken to date. Never before have data from the study of human remains in multiple geographical regions and time periods within Oaxaca been assembled in a single venue. The goal of this collection of papers is to bring together the results of bioarchaeological scholarship on diverse topics, time periods, and regions. These studies investigate approximately 3500years of precolumbian history, from the beginnings of the Early Formative (ca. 1650BCE) to the Colonial period. The papers discuss five major geographical areas and consider various cultural groups including the Zapotec, Mixtec, Chontal, and Chatino peoples. This special issue is the first academic product of which we are aware to provide such a concentrated yet diverse consideration of the social context and bioarchaeological significance of ancient human remains from Oaxaca.