An Analysis of Maya Foodways: Stable Isotopes and Oral Indicators of Diet in West Central Belize =Un análisis de las costumbres alimenticias Maya: isótopos estables e indicadores orales de la dieta en Belice centro-Occidenta

Data on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and oral indicators of diet from the sites of Tipu and Baking Pot in western Belize offer insights into the transition of Maya life after Spanish contact. Tipu is a borderland town occupied from the Preclassic period until A.D. 1707, when the Spanish forcefully removed its inhabitants. It is best known for its Colonial occupation and visita church with 600+ interments. Baking Pot was a regional civic-ceremonial center continuously occupied from the Preclassic (~700 cal B.C.) to the Terminal Classic periods (cal A.D. 900/1000), during which time the site center was abandoned. While outlying settlement areas continued to be occupied, the site center was not reoccupied until the Late Postclassic (cal A.D. 1280-1420). The two sites are within 16 km of each other, are found in the same environmental setting, and likely belonged to the same trade networks. They represent life in west central Belize before and after Spanish contact. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and oral indicators of diet were analyzed to answer questions about the intersection of identities and social roles of food production, procurement, processing, distribution, and consumption. The two sites have the same delta15N value, suggesting similar protein resource use through time, most likely low-order, C3-energy animals and freshwater mollusks. Tipu has a slightly higher delta 13C value implying an increased reliance of maize. At Tipu, males and females from the pre-Columbian structure had different diets than individuals buried in the church, suggesting a change in gendered access and roles associated with food after Spanish contact. Only intersectional identity divisions uncovered this pattern. Both sites have high rates of calculus, likely from increased silicon and ammonia in fruits and not marine protein. Baking Pot has a slightly higher rate of caries, also potentially elevated by fruit consumption as they consumed less maize than Tipuans. At Tipu, females had greater rates of caries and AMTL, while males had more calculus. Tipu has one of the greatest rates of periodontal recession of any Maya site. Social factors, such as tobacco smoking, rather than biological factors may be the cause. The frequency of the five oral conditions suggests that the oral well-being and food consumption patterns of Tipuans were more like precontact sites than other Colonial sites.;La informacion proveniente de isotopos estables de carbono y nitrogeno e indicadores orales sobre la dieta en las localidades de Tipu y Baking Pot en Belice occidental proporcionan informacion acerca de la transicion en la vida Maya despues del contacto con los espanoles. Tipu es un pueblo fronterizo que estuvo ocupado desde el periodo preclasico hasta el ano 1707, cuando los espanoles desterraron a sus habitantes, y es reconocido por ser un pueblo colonial y por la iglesia de la visita la cual tiene mas de 600 entierros. Baking Pot era un centro regional civico de ceremonias que estuvo ocupado continuamente desde el preclasico (cal 700 AC, aproximadamente) hasta el periodo clasico terminal (cal 900/1000 DC), periodo durante el cual el centro del sitio estuvo abandonado. A pesar de la ocupacion continua en poblaciones aledanas, el centro del sitio no fue reocupado sino hasta finales del periodo posclasico (cal 1280-1420 DC). Los dos sitios estan a 16 km el uno del otro, se encuentran en el mismo entorno ambiental, y posiblemente eran parte de las mismas redes de comercio, y representan la vida en Belice centro-occidental antes y despues del contacto con los espanoles. Se analizaron isotopos estables de carbono y nitrogeno e indicadores orales de dieta con el fin de responder preguntas acerca de la interseccion de identidades y roles sociales de produccion, adquisicion, procesamiento, distribucion y consumo de alimentos. Se encontro que los dos sitios tienen el mismo valor de delta15N, lo cual sugiere un consumo similar de proteinas a traves del tiempo, probablemente animales con energia C3 de bajo orden y moluscos de agua dulce. Se encontro que Tipu tiene un valor delta13C algo mayor, lo que sugiere una mayor dependencia del maiz. En Tipu, los hombres y mujeres de la estructura precolombina tenian dietas diferentes a los individuos enterrados en la iglesia, lo que sugiere un cambio en el acceso y roles de genero asociados a los alimentos despues del contacto con los espanoles. Las divisiones de identidad interseccional fueron las unicas que revelaron este patron.