Kathryn Whelton

Climate change is often argued to have contributed to the Terminal Classic Period collapse of the Maya civilization as well as earlier Preclassic Maya abandonments. However, paleoclimate is studied using methods that often produce results on a decadal or centennial time scale and that cover broad regions. Gaining a more precise understanding of local climate within human lifespans may prove valuable when trying to identify the nuances associated with the abrupt abandonments of Maya occupations. This project explores how smaller scale climate changes can be reflected in human skeletal remains from the Preclassic Maya site of Cerros, Belize. Stable carbon isotope ratios in tooth enamel are reflective of diet, which can indicate environmental resource potential. Stable oxygen isotope ratios in tooth enamel are reflective of consumed water, which can indicate the environmental conditions that influenced the ratio of bioavailable oxygen isotopes. I will be incrementally sampling human tooth enamel from individuals from Cerros in order to identify changes in these isotope ratios during the period of tooth mineralization. I aim to better understand if this method is viable for studying how past populations interfaced with their environments.