Patterns of Disease and Culture in Ancient Panama

A study of human skeletal remains from Cerro Juan Díaz, a pre-Columbian site in coastal Panama, reveals that age was the primary determinant of mortuary adornments during A.D. 30–650, challenging previous assumptions about regional value systems. Analysis of oral pathologies and dental wear indicates a diet rich in cariogenic foods like maize and habitual use of teeth as tools, possibly for processing manioc tubers. The research also identifies high frequencies of artificial cranial modification as an identity marker, evidence of male-dominated aquatic activities through external auditory exostoses, and a prevalent systemic infection consistent with Treponema pallidum. These findings were derived from a bioarchaeological examination of early mortuary contexts uncovered during a decade-long excavation campaign (1992–2001).

Smith-Guzmán, N., Sánchez Herrera, L., & Cooke, R. (2021). Patterns of Disease and Culture in Ancient Panama. Bioarchaeology International. https://doi.org/10.5744/bi.2021.1004