TY - JOUR
T1 - Strontium isotopes and the study of human mobility in ancient Mesoamerica
AU - Price, T. Douglas
AU - Burton, James H.
AU - Fullagar, Paul D.
AU - Wright, Lori E.
AU - Buikstra, Jane
AU - Tiesler, Vera
PY - 2008/6
Y1 - 2008/6
N2 - We analyzed strontium isotopes in more than 500 samples of shell, bone, and dental enamel from modern and archaeological contexts throughout Mesoamerica. The results correspond closely with expectations based upon the local geology and earlier measurements of geological materials. The results show that isotopic variation is significant across Mesoamerica. Thus strontium isotope ratios in dental enamel, which mark the place of childhood residence, can be used not only to document mobility but also in some cases to determine geographic origin. We present five archaeological case studies to illustrate the anthropological significance and range of applications for this technique: the origins of individuals in the "Oaxaca Barrio" at Teotihuacan, a northern origin for the founder of Copan, a local king at Tikal, the regional origin of two of Palenque's rulers, and individuals of African birth in a colonial cemetery in Campeche.
AB - We analyzed strontium isotopes in more than 500 samples of shell, bone, and dental enamel from modern and archaeological contexts throughout Mesoamerica. The results correspond closely with expectations based upon the local geology and earlier measurements of geological materials. The results show that isotopic variation is significant across Mesoamerica. Thus strontium isotope ratios in dental enamel, which mark the place of childhood residence, can be used not only to document mobility but also in some cases to determine geographic origin. We present five archaeological case studies to illustrate the anthropological significance and range of applications for this technique: the origins of individuals in the "Oaxaca Barrio" at Teotihuacan, a northern origin for the founder of Copan, a local king at Tikal, the regional origin of two of Palenque's rulers, and individuals of African birth in a colonial cemetery in Campeche.
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U2 - 10.1017/S1045663500007781
DO - 10.1017/S1045663500007781
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:60950472052
SN - 1045-6635
VL - 19
SP - 167
EP - 180
JO - Latin American Antiquity
JF - Latin American Antiquity
IS - 2
ER -