Diet and health at Chinikihá, Chiapas, Mexico: some preliminary results

This study reports stable nitrogen, and carbon isotopic analyses (δ13 C and δ15 N) from bone collagen and enamel apatite for eight human samples at the site of Chinikihá, Mexico, during the Late Classic (AD 650–850). It has been proposed that, during this time period, an increase in maize consumption combined with a decrease in meat consumption could have been the result of an environmental collapse, reflected in a generalised poor diet and health. However, recent studies demonstrate that there is great intrasite variability, and that access to maize and animal protein may relate more to changes in the distribution of foods among social groups. Data from chemical analyses are combined with other variables, such as health status and mortuary patterns to determine differences among the inhabitants of an upper-class household. Our results indicate that, while the basic staple of all the inhabitants of Chinikihá was maize, access to other wild plants and animal protein may have depended on sex, age and other social factors, and not necessarily be the consequence of an environmental depletion of resources. This article provides more data to the growing body of literature that support local variation and internal differences, and expands our knowledge on differential access to resources within the members of a higher-class unit.