Date of Award
1-1-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Anthropology
First Advisor
Carolyn Freiwald
Second Advisor
John Walden
Third Advisor
Katherine Centellas
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Migration among the ancient Maya at the Lower Dover polity core and the districts of Barton Ramie, Floral Park, and Tutu Uitz Na is investigated through strontium and oxygen isotope analyses to test whether the relationships between migration, health, and status can be understood through the Healthy Immigrant Paradox (HIP). The Healthy Immigrant Paradox is a modern phenomenon where migrants have better health than the local population, but lose this advantage over time in the host location.
Fifty-eight individuals were assessed for origin, health, and status at the Lower Dover polity in western Belize ranging from the Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic periods (~900 BCE – CE 1000). Seven individuals were identified as non-local to the polity, including six commoners buried at Barton Ramie and one intermediate elite buried at Floral Park. Thirty-one individuals’ remains were complete enough to analyze disease markers, and the three migrants within that group did not have different health in childhood or adulthood than the local population.
There were no statistically significant relationships between migration and health, or health and status with health measured using frequencies of lesions. There are many factors that could explain the lack of statistically significant relationships between migration, health, and status, including a small and unequal sample size, timing and distance of migration, and reason for migration. Although we cannot conclude from this sample that the factors contributing to migration at Lower Dover are the same as those associated with the Healthy Immigrant Paradox, the framework is useful for exploring the process of migration and its impact on the migrants and the communities they join.
Recommended Citation
Corey, Kasey, "Maya on the Move: Migration, Health, and Status at Lower Dover, Belize" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3263.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/3263