Fall 2024 IMS Speaker Series Lecture - "Zapotec Life Histories during Periods of Sociopolitical Transformation in the Tlacolula Valley of Oaxaca"
Of his work, Dr. Ricardo Higelín Ponce de León writes, "I present a bioarchaeological study of marginalized people from ancient Zapotec communities in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, focusing on a period of transition from A.D. 350 to 1250. I analyzed 450 pre-contact burials from Early Classic to Early Postclassic sites in the Tlacolula Valley. Applying the Health Index model, standardized osteological methods, and funerary treatment data I consider these human remains and their context as a single extensive collection and pursue questions that focus on individuals that have been understudied, women, children, and non-elite residents of secondary centers. Also, I discuss the impact of sociopolitical changes associated with the Classic to Postclassic transition. This work decenters bioarchaeological research to produce more robust studies of past societies."