Diet and Behavior of Ancient Maya: Using Dental Wear Patterns

Abstract

Socioeconomic status is often associated with differential access to both resources and food. Ancient Maya groups from the Upper Belize Valley during the Classic period (700- 900 years ago) demonstrated distinct social stratification and possibly differential food access. Although direct dietary observations are not possible for past populations, because we understand masticatory processes, enamel features associated with molar macro and microwear can provide evidence of the type (hard, tough, or soft) and quantity of food, and food processing. This study assessed macro- and microwear of maxillary and mandibular first, second and third molars from royals (n=7), sub-royals (n=9), and commoners (n=5) from the urban center of Buenavista del Cayo. We predicted that royals and sub-royals would show wear patterns associated with a tough food diet while commoners would show features associated with a soft food diet. Standard scoring for macrowear was used to assess the entire surface of all teeth. Microwear analyses focused on wear facet nine within the distobuccal quadrant on mandibular first molars. Results indicated no significant differences across social groups. Climate fluctuations may have influenced resource availability within the community regardless of social status, helping to explain similarities in dietary composition. However, descriptive statistics of both macro and microwear suggest a level of differential resource access but with more overlapping dietary components than originally predicted. These individuals likely followed a corporate group pattern, meaning multiple social groups worked together to share resources and responsibilities within the community. These frequent interactions across social groups help explain the only slight difference in wear patterns. Higher status individuals consuming larger quantities of tough foods require multidirectional jaw movements associated with a higher level of complexity. While the simpler and more repetitive mastication cycle of lower status individuals whose diet mainly consists soft foods, typically presents with higher levels of anisotropy. The lack of statistical significance implies a high level of interaction between social groups who likely shared similarities in dietary compositions but perhaps differed in the quantity of each food type.