Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Mesoamerican Population Structure and Interregional Interaction

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With National Science Foundation support, Bryan Aubry will conduct bioarchaeological research on 26 skeletal populations from throughout Mesoamerica dating between 600-1000 A.D. Dramatic sociopolitical and demographic shifts during this period have been inferred from archaeological and ethnohistoric data, but there is currently no consensus regarding the nature of interaction between the sub-regions of Mesoamerica. The study is not specifically concerned with the cause of these shifts, but rather with whether or not any demographic shifts that may have occurred can be detected biologically through the analysis of dental variation. Historically, researchers have hypothesized that populations from Central Mexico migrated south into the Maya region at various times during the Classic and Postclassic periods. Although there is significant debate over the degree of influence that central Mexico exercised throughout Mesoamerica, most assume that migration did occur and that archaeological evidence of contact indicates the movement of populations. Despite the perceived importance of the Maya-Mexican relationship to Mesoamerican prehistory, this will be the first bioarchaeological study of sufficient scale to help resolve this issue. The inclusion of materials from all over Mesoamerica in a single study is essential to answer the research questions posed in the study. The scope of the study will allow for the detection of changes in population structure through time and for the isolation of sources of gene flow into the Maya area from outside. Of particular importance is the isolation of particular sites within each sub-region that preferentially interacted with sites outside of their respective area. The specific tasks of the research are 1) to assess the biological distance of sites within each of the three sub-regions to detect outliers; 2) to calculate levels of genetic heterozygosity for each sub-region and compare individual sites to these expected values, 3) to compare the biological distance of specific sites within each sub-region that exhibit greater than expected levels of genetic heterozygosity. The identification of spheres of interaction between specific sites from different sub-regions that deviate from what is expected will help illuminate the nature of central Mexican influence in the Maya area. The project is unique in being the largest study of biological affinity in Mesoamerica using both metric and non-metric dental data, and the first to record cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and crown measurements on all individuals. The intellectual merits of the study stem from its contribution to advance our current understanding of pan-regional interaction in Mesoamerica, as well as adding to the current literature on the agreement between crown and CEJ measurements.The broader impacts of the project are its contribution to research on an important period of Mesoamerican history. Additionally, researchers will be able to access raw, not summary data, from approximately 3,500 individuals for comparison with their own data or for additional statistical applications of these data.