Honors Theses

Date of Award

Summer 2020

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Carolyn Freiwald

Second Advisor

James Cizdziel

Third Advisor

John Samonds

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Stable isotope analysis is commonly used to reconstruct diet and mobility among archeological populations. The isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium serve as proxies to reconstruct past plant and protein consumption and to identify where that food came from, providing a basis for reconstructing patterns of population movement. Human remains recovered from Chicoloapan Viejo provide information on diet and migration during the Epiclassic period in central Mexico. The isotope values provide preliminary information on migration after the collapse of Teotihuacan. A total of 346 skeletal elements from five individuals including two males, two females, and one unknown adult, represent the burial population from Chicoloapan to date. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotope analysis of the teeth and bones reveal the local isotopic signatures for Chicoloapan Viejo and set the stage for future research on diet and migration at the site and in the Valley of Mexico. This study provides new information on diet and mobility for an important population in the Valley of Mexico and offers new insight to an under-researched ancient era. New insight demonstrated by local strontium and oxygen isotope values showed little to no migration between Chicoloapan Viejo and Teotihuacan. The dietary consumption of primarily C4 resources in both terrestrial plants and proteins were similar to populations surrounding Teotihuacan, suggesting that there was a regional diet and that there were not significant local variations.

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