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Odontometric Investigation of the Origin of Freestanding Shrine Ossuaries at Mayapan

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The Bioarchaeology of Space and Place

Abstract

Mayapan was the largest and most densely populated city in the Maya area during the Late Postclassic period (ca. AD 1200–1450), but was it truly cosmopolitan? This question was investigated through biodistance and population genetic analyses of heritable dental metric traits, the first such study conducted at this site. The analyses concentrated on burials excavated from a diverse array of contexts, such as mass graves, residences, and plaza floors, with a particular focus on freestanding shrine ossuaries. The results of both univariate and multivariate analyses suggest individuals interred in freestanding shrine ossuaries are genetically distinct from contemporary and earlier populations from northwestern Yucatan, suggesting this new burial practice was introduced by foreigners. These findings also have implications for the larger question of whether pan-Mesoamerican elite identity formation in the Postclassic period (AD 900–1543) was accompanied by more intense long-distance mixing of populations, rather than just the exchange of goods and ideas. Given the important role played by exchange in the regeneration of sociopolitical complexity in ancient societies from different parts of the world (Schwartz, 2006), this study also contributes to the broader discussion of how cultures survive and respond to upheaval, as well as to a more nuanced consideration of the role of migration in culture change.

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Acknowledgments

This study was made possible by funding from the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. grant #05033 and the Middle American Research Institute of Tulane University. Generous permission to study these collections was provided by Marilyn Masson, Clifford Brown, and José Manuel Arias. The RMET 5.0 computer program was kindly made available by John Relethford. Helpful comments on various aspects of this research were provided by Bárbara Escamilla Ojeda, Wilbert Cruz Alvarado, John Verano, E. Wyllys Andrews V, Trenton Holliday, and Clifford Brown.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human, Health & Social Sciences, Central Queensland University, QLD 4702, Rockhampton, Australia

    Stanley Serafin

  2. Department of Chiropractic, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia

    Stanley Serafin

  3. School of Humanities & Languages, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

    Stanley Serafin

  4. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Centro INAH Yucatan, Km. 6 ½ Carretera Merida-Progreso S/N, CP 97310, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

    Carlos Peraza Lope, Eunice Uc González & Pedro Delgado Kú

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  1. Stanley Serafin
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  2. Carlos Peraza Lope
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  3. Eunice Uc González
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  4. Pedro Delgado Kú
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Correspondence to Stanley Serafin .

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Gabriel D. Wrobel

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Serafin, S., Peraza Lope, C., Uc González, E., Delgado Kú, P. (2014). Odontometric Investigation of the Origin of Freestanding Shrine Ossuaries at Mayapan. In: Wrobel, G. (eds) The Bioarchaeology of Space and Place. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0479-2_6

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