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The goal of this thesis is to examine the diet of ancient Maya living in Northwest Belize using stable isotopic analysis of human bone collagen.. The specific area of study is within the boundaries of the Río Bravo Conservation and Management Area, a nature preserve in the Three Rivers Region. This conservation district includes 250,000 acres (~1,052 km2) of land and more than fifty ancient Maya sites. The Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP) has conducted original research in this area since 1992 and has amassed a large collection of artifacts from sites that varied in size and socio-political complexity. The scope of this study includes two primary regional political centers - La Milpa and Dos Hombres, and seven associated satellite sites.
This thesis analyzes patterns of intra-site hierarchy and heterarchy using stable carbon (δ13C) and stable nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios obtained from human bone collagen from nine Maya sites. As these sites are geographically clustered and have similar access to dietary resources, I predicted that the individuals sampled will likewise have similar δ13C and δ15N values. As noted at similar Maya sites, the individuals in the Three Rivers Region should have consumed a diet consisting primarily of terrestrial animals and a mix of maize and forest resources. Beyond a few extreme outliers, this does seem to be the pattern of consumption in the majority of the sites sampled.