Abstract

TIESLER, Vera  and  CUCINA, Andrea. Affiliation, Inter-Population Relationships and Cultural Bonds in the Mayan Lowlands during Classic Period. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2012, vol.40, pp.97-122. ISSN 0185-2574.

The present study evaluates the dental and artificial cranial morphology of Classic period Lowland Mayas to reconstruct their populational dynamics, biological and cultural affinities. The remains come from several sites located in the Mexican and Guatemaltecan Peten area. The data were elaborated within their regional contexts and compared with information derived from coeval settlements from Chiapas, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. The dental data were analyzed statistically using cluster and Maximum Likelihood analyses, while the cranial information was processed comparing proportions of presence and type of vault modification. The results evidence populational and cultural continuity in Peten's north-south axis during the Classic period and to a much minor degree also towards occupations west of the Usumacinta river.

Keywords : Lowland Mayas; biodistance; cranial modification; population movements; Calakmul.