Biomechanical responses to bodily mobility and physical activity according to subsistence strategies in pre-Hispanic groups from Yucatan and Oaxaca

Abstract

We present the results of the research carried out on groups of pre-Hispanic individuals from the state of Yucatan and Oaxaca. Our objective is to understand the phenotypic microadaptive processes that occurred among individuals from the peninsular Mayan area and from the central valleys of Oaxaca. To this end, 107 femurs were selected from 14 sites on the coast and plain of the Yucatan peninsula from the Classic period (300 AD to 900 AD). From Oaxaca, a group of 37 femurs was selected from the central valleys (Monte Alban and other sites) from the Classic period (200-1000 AD) and Postclassic period (1000-1400 AD). These groups are located in different geographical regions, the first on a low-lying plain (0 to 100 masl) and the second at 2,000 masl, with similar forms of social organization and subsistence strategies based on corn. For this purpose, we used computed tomographic images (CT scans) of the femur cross section, estimating the biomechanical characteristics of these groups (first and second moments of inertia) by taking into account the differences associated with subsistence strategies and physical activity. For both groups, the results show a more significant influence on body structure from their sociopolitical environment than their geographical one.