The Palaeodiet of the Pericue Indians of the Cape Region of Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Abstract
The archaeology of the Pericue Indians inhabiting the Cape region of Baja California has long been an area of interest. The dolichocranic traits exhibited by this population have lead to suggestions that these people were a relic population of an early coastal migration into North America. The antiquity of directly dated Pericue human remains only reaches 3,000 B.P. with occupation sites dating back to 9,000 B.P. The site of Babisuri cave in Isla Espiritu Santo may demonstrate a very early human presence in Baja California Sur between 36,000 to 45,000 B.P. although the exact nature of this evidence is unclear. Increasing tourist development within this region threatens many archaeological sites particularly coastal shell middens and rock shelters. Current rescue excavations are yielding important information regarding many aspects of the culture of the Pericue Indians. Geochemical evidence of diet {d13C and d15N} taken from Pericue bone samples, modern and archaeological animals and modern plants is helping us to understand the complicated subsistence strategies of this group. Initial results highlight a complicated and diverse diet including marine and terrestrial resources, most likely exploited seasonally. Similarities between the diet of the Pericue and other nearby coastal Indian groups are clear and will be discussed. Pericue Indian material culture, combined with the exploitation of marine mammals and the construction of enormous shell mounds display parallels with other central and North American groups. The exploitation of marine mammals and the associated stone tools display striking similarities to the Chumash people of the Channel Islands of Coastal Southern California. Some of these cultural similarities will be highlighted in this presentation. Current genetic work is attempting to discover the nature of the similarities between the Chumash and Pericue groups as some cultural elements of each group have parallels with the other. Initial genetic results of Pericue material recovered from archaeological sites in this region are to be presented. These results highlight the interesting contradictions of the archaeology of the Cape region of Baja California. Whilst some evidence implies isolation from other groups in Central and North America other evidence suggests exchange between Pericue Indians and other groups. The possible cultural and genetic similarities between the Pericue and other Pacific coast groups has important implications for our understanding of the colonisation and migration processes of the Americas.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUSM.U54B..03B
- Keywords:
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- 1041 Stable isotope geochemistry (0454;
- 4870)