A Bioarcheological Study of Life History and Body Treatment at the Maya Site of Chan Chich, Belize

The ancient Maya occupied what is today southern Mexico and western Central America. The Late Preclassic (ca. 400 BC- AD 100), Early Classic (250 to 600 AD), and the Late Classic (600 to 810 AD) were important time periods for the Maya. This research project specifically compiles the burial data from the Late Preclassic to the Late Classic at the ancient Maya city of Chan Chich, Belize. Through two overarching research questions I test whether life history impacts body treatment and if mortuary practices changed over time. The data set includes 12 inhumations (10 burials) from the Upper Plaza, the civic and ceremonial center of Chan Chich. Creating a biological profile for each individual allowed comparison of patterns in body treatment, mortuary practices, and identification of changes to mortuary practices over time. The results indicate that variables like biological sex do not influence body treatment. However, results suggest that age was a factor in body orientation and burial location. The results also showed temporal patterns in variables like burial location and grave inclusions. Osteobiographic narratives were written for six individuals; an osteobiography uses skeletal analysis, archaeological context, and ethnographic/ethnohistoric data to interpret an individual’s life story. The osteobiographies not only contextualize the individuals of the Upper Plaza but provide a insight into ancient mortuary behavior for the public. This study emphasizes the importance of bioarchaeology and its ability to highlight the stories of past people. Future research focuses on creating additional osteobiographies to corroborate with other neighboring Maya sites regarding burial location and mortuary patterns. Isotope analysis testing and a facial reconstruction would also be beneficial for future research to strengthen the osteobiographies.