Strontium Isotopes and the Study of Human Mobility in Ancient Mesoamerica

Abstract

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.

Reconstructing ancient Maya animal trade through strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis

“…Similar values are found along the Pacific coast of Guatemala where soils are derived from highland volcanics. Although the volcanic highlands and Pacific coast are readily distinguished from most other regions of the Maya world, similar 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values are found in the highland regions of Central Mexico (Price et al, 2000(Price et al, , 2008White et al, 2007).…”

“…Within the region, the method has been used previously to identify human migration (Buikstra et al, 2003;Price, 2006;Price et al, 2000Price et al, , 2008Price et al, , 2010White et al, 2007;Wright, 2005aWright, , 2005b. Fewer studies have used the method to study animal movement and trade in either Old or New World contexts (Freiwald, 2010;Shackleton and Elderfield, 1990;Sykes et al, 2006;Thornton et al, in press;Vanhaerena et al, 2004;Viner et al, 2010;Yaeger and Freiwald, 2009).…”

Teotihuacan

“…Research on Teotihuacan has contributed to the development of new methods for studying ancient urbanism, including statistical analyses of neighborhoods, residue studies of floors, use of energetics to study bureaucracy, isotopic and aDNA analyses, and deploying robots, drones, and magnetometers (e.g., Barba 2005;Feder 2004;INAH 2014;McClung de Tapia and Barba 2011;Murakami 2015;Pecci et al 2012;Price et al 2008;Robertson 2001). The findings question widely held assumptions about early cities and deep human history.…”

Introducing δ88/86Sr analysis in archaeology: a demonstration of the utility of strontium isotope fractionation in paleodietary studies

“…Since tooth enamel 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values reflect 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values incorporated during enamel formation and bone values reflect the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values during bone formation in the last years of life, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr analysis can be used to determine residential mobility (Ericson, 1985;Price et al,1994a,b). This technique is an increasingly common method to identify archaeological human residential mobility (e.g., Bentley et al, 2007;Giblin, 2009;Montgomery et al, 2005;Price et al, 2008b;Sjögren et al, 2009;Slovak et al, 2009;Turner et al, 2009). Although less common, there is great potential for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr analysis to determine the geographic origins of plants (Åberg, 1995;Almeida and Vaconcelos, 2001;English et al, 2001;Frei et al, 2009) and animals (Bendrey et al, 2009;Britton et al, 2009;Dufour et al, 2007;Hoppe et al, 1999;Price et al, 2008a;Schweissing and Grupe, 2003b;Shaw et al, 2009;Sykes et al, 2006).…”