“Lifestyle and Activity Patterns of the Classic Period Maya from Chac B” by Abigail L. Hornbeck

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

Bioarchaeological analysis typically makes use of skeletal stays to reconstruct patterns of exercise and labor in previous populations. This research examines potential sex-based variations in lengthy bone morphology amongst people from the Classic Maya websites of Chac Balam and San Juan on Ambergris Caye, Belize. These coastal communities participated in maritime commerce networks, and day by day actions corresponding to cargo transport, canoe journey, and fishing could have positioned distinctive mechanical stresses on the skeleton. The aim of this research was to judge whether or not measurable variations in bone construction between men and women mirror variations in routine exercise patterns.

Two complementary strategies had been used to investigate lengthy bones from six grownup people (n = 19 bones). Manual measurements had been collected to calculate midshaft form indices for the humerus, radius, femur, and tibia. In addition, computed tomography (CT) scans had been used to look at inner cross-sectional geometric properties, together with the polar second of inertia (J) and the ratio of most to minimal bending rigidity (I_max/I_min), which mirror bone power and resistance to mechanical loading. Descriptive statistics, % variations, Student’s t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U assessments had been used to judge variations between female and male samples.

Manual measurements didn’t present statistically important variations between sexes, though males displayed barely larger common indices in a number of parts. CT-derived measurements revealed bigger variations in structural power, with male humeri and radii displaying increased common J values than females. However, conflicting outcomes between the 2 statistical assessments in addition to the small pattern dimension restrict the power of those conclusions.

Overall, the findings counsel attainable sex-based variations in upper-limb loading per maritime labor actions, whereas additionally demonstrating the worth of mixing conventional osteometric strategies with CT-derived calculations to analyze exercise patterns in previous populations.

Recommended Citation

Hornbeck, Abigail L., “Lifestyle and Activity Patterns of the Classic Period Maya from Chac Balam and San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize” (2026). Honors Theses. 3483.