Date of Award
Summer 8-2021
Degree Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
School
Social Science and Global Studies
Committee Chair
Dr. Marie Danforth
Committee Chair School
Social Science and Global Studies
Committee Member 2
Dr. Bridget Hayden
Committee Member 2 School
Social Science and Global Studies
Committee Member 3
Dr. Ed Jackson
Abstract
This thesis explores juvenile health at the contact Maya site of Tipu in western Belize. The associated cemetery was excavated and provided a large and well-preserved population. Although Tipu has been a focus of many studies, few studies have focused on subadults and none on their cortical development, which can allow insight into access to necessary nutritional resources.
Some 108 femora belonging to individuals aged birth to 13 years with femora previously sectioned at midshaft provided the sample. External dimensions taken included diaphyseal length, circumference, medial-lateral diameter and anterior-posterior diameter. Additionally, cortical thickness was measured at four points, and 95 femora were analyzed for cortical area using the software BoneJ. It was expected that overall the reduced cortical bone maintenance would be seen as the result of the protein-deficient maize diet and differences by burial location might be present.
The results of this study exhibited a generally healthy population of juveniles. The diaphyseal measurements and cortical area articulated steady growth throughout childhood with the greatest velocity during infancy and adolescence. No differences by burial location are seen, however. Evidence of premature osteoporosis, as observed among the ancient Nubias, was not present. Overall, these results generally align with other bioarcheological inquiries done on the health maintenance of the subadult health status at Tipu. This study sheds light on a Tipu child’s experience of a Maya society during the time of the Spanish’s arrival and also provides a baseline of cortical bone data that might be used in future studies from the region.
ORCID ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5784-3605
Copyright
Jaime Elizabeth Thomas
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Jaime, "Subadult Cortical Bone Analysis As An Indicator of Childhood Health Status Among the Tipu Maya Population" (2021). Master's Theses. 854.
https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/854
COinS