Bioarchaeology of Jicaro: Analysis of human skeletal remains and mortuary practices at a Sapoa Period (A.D. 800/900--1350) site in Greater Nicoya

BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF JÍCARO: ANALYSIS OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS AND MORTUARY PRACTICES AT A SAPOA PERIOD (A.D. 800/900-1350) SITE IN GREATER NICOYA By Jane Catherine Wankmiller This dissertation presents a bioarchaeological study of Jícaro, a village site located on Costa Rica’s northwestern coast in the Guanacaste province. Jícaro is located on the Papagayo Peninsula, which forms the northern and northwestern boundaries of the Bahía de Culebra, along the shores of which approximately 60 archaeological sites of varying sizes and periods of occupation have been identified. The Bahía de Culebra and the sites surrounding it are located within an archaeologically defined subregion of the Intermediate Area, the geographical region between Mesoamerica to the north and the Andean cultures to the south, known as Greater Nicoya. Jícaro was occupied between A.D. 800/900 and 1350, according to radiocarbon dates and ceramic typologies. During this time in prehistory, there was substantial interaction between the region in which Jícaro was located and societies to the north and south through extensive land and maritime trade networks. Many researchers also believe that during this time there was an influx of Mesoamericans—or at least an influx of Mesoamerican cultural influence—from the north into Greater Nicoya, based on linguistic and archaeological evidence and changes in mortuary behavior. Salvage excavations at Jícaro and subsequent laboratory analysis of the artifact assemblage were carried out by archaeologists Felipe Solís Del Vecchio and Anayensy Villalobos Herrera and their team between 2005 and 2008. Excavations at Jícaro yielded a number of distinct habitation and activity areas in addition to 237 burials, with a minimum of approximately 440 individuals, of which 308 were analyzed for the purpose of this research. The research presented in this dissertation builds on analyses of the artifacts and burial treatments conducted by Solís and Herrera, incorporating analyses of the demographic characteristics of the population from Jícaro, an assessment of skeletal markers of health, stress, pathology, trauma, and cultural modifications, and a comparison of the results of the skeletal analysis with burial treatments. The findings from the bioarchaeological analyses of Jícaro are then compared with published data on the mortuary practices and skeletal analyses from Nacascolo, a nearby, a thoroughly researched archaeological site that had a period of occupation that was contemporary with occupation at Jícaro. Results of the mortuary analysis at Jícaro, incorporating intraand inter-site analyses, confirm that mortuary practices at Jícaro are characteristic of the Sapoa Period in the Greater Nicoya region. Skeletal and mortuary data from Jícaro show that this was a relatively egalitarian community with little differentiation among individuals in their burial treatments, except for several classes of grave goods that appear to have been reserved for a particular sex or age cohort, and indications that subadults were more likely to be buried without grave goods than adults. The population appears to have been relatively healthy, except for evidence of a systemic infection among several individuals, possibly related to congenital treponemal infection. Burial practices and cultural modifications at Jícaro are similar to other sites in the immediate vicinity. Differences between burial practices at Nacascolo and Jícaro may be the result of sampling bias at both sites, but they could reveal localized, possibly community-based, decisions regarding social identity and social interactions. While there does appear to be a Mesoamerican presence at the site, the same evidence in support of direct Mesoamerican contact and influence could also be interpreted as evidence for local adaptations with more limited Mesoamerican interaction. Future research at Jícaro should involve molecular and trace element/stable isotope analyses to further explore issues of population relatedness and migration.