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Stable Isotope Analysis of Turkey (Meleagriscc Gallopavo) Diet from Pueblo II and Pueblo III Sites, Middle San Juan Region, Northwest New Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Harlan McCaffery ,
Robert H. Tykot ,
Kathy Durand Gore  and
Beau R. DeBoer
Harlan McCaffery
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology & Applied Archaeology, Station 53, Eastern New Mexico University, 1500 South Avenue K, Portales, NM, 88130 (Harley.mc@gmail.com)
Robert H. Tykot
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, SOC 108, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33620-7200
Kathy Durand Gore
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology & Applied Archaeology, Station 53, Eastern New Mexico University, 1500 South Avenue K, Portales, NM, 88130 (Harley.mc@gmail.com)
Beau R. DeBoer
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology & Applied Archaeology, Station 53, Eastern New Mexico University, 1500 South Avenue K, Portales, NM, 88130 (Harley.mc@gmail.com)
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Abstract

The transition from the Pueblo 11 Period (A.D. 1050–1150) to the Pueblo III Period (A.D. 1150–1300) in the San Juan Basin marks an intensification of turkey use, evidenced by an increase in the percentage of faunal assemblages representing turkey bones. We examine stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen ( δ15N) isotopic values of turkey bones from three ancestral Puebloan sites in the Middle San Juan Region to test the hypothesis that this intensification is linked to an increase in the amount of maize in the turkeys’ diets. We find no significant change in δ13C or δ15N across the two time periods, and all of the specimens’ values indicate maize consumption. A plot of bone apatite δ13C against collagen δ13C is consistent with a model of diets high in C4 protein, indicating that the turkeys did not use an alternative source of protein to maize and/or fauna that fed on maize. The reliance of both humans and turkeys on maize indicates a degree of turkey-human interdependency not previously known in the Middle San Juan Region. Future inquiries into the paleodiet of turkeys should target times and places where there is likely to have been a transition from hunting to domestication.

Resumen

Resumen

La transición del período Pueblo II (1050–1150 d.C.) al Pueblo III (1150–1300 d.C.) en la Cuenca de San Juan marca la intensificación del uso de pavos, evidencia de lo cual es el aumento del porcentaje de huesos de pavos representados en la agrupación de la fauna. En este estudio, se examinan los valores isotópicos estables de carbón (δ13C) y nitrógeno (δ15N) de los huesos de pavos en tres localidades de los Pueblos ancestrales en la región Media de San Juan para probar la hipótesis de que esta intensificación está relacionada a un incremento en la cantidad de maíz en las dietas de los pavos. No encontramos un cambio significativo en δ13C ó δ15N entre los dos períodos de tiempo, y todos los valores de los especímenes señalan el consumo de maíz. La gráfica del apatito óseo δ13 C en contraste con el colágeno δ13 C es consistente con el modelo de dietas altas en proteína C4, lo cual señala que los pavos no utilizaban una fuente de proteína fuera del maíz y/o la fauna que se alimentaba de maíz. La dependencia de ambos, humanos y pavos, al maíz indica un grado no previamente conocido de interdependencia pavo-humano en la región Media de San Juan. Futuras investigaciones sobre la paleodieta de los pavos deben enfocarse en los tiempos y lugares donde es posible que haya ocurrido la transición de la cacería a la domesticación.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 337 - 352
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2014

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