Author ORCID Identifier
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4283-716X
Date Available
1-10-2026
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Anthropology
Advisor
Dr. Christopher Pool
Abstract
The goal of this three-paper dissertation was to engage with the archaeological hypotheses of prehistoric migration from Mesoamerica into the Greater Nicoya Region of Nicaragua. To that aim, this dissertation contains a discussion on the current information supporting and refuting the migratory hypotheses. New data is also presented in the form of stable isotope analysis and bioarcheological analysis of dentition from prehistoric archaeological sites in Pacific Nicaragua.
The first paper titled “Prehistoric Foodways and Migration Hypotheses in the Greater Nicoya Region of Nicaragua” outlines the current available research concerning migration out of Mesoamerica into Pacific Nicaragua. The potential migration is hypothesized to have occurred twice, once around AD 800 and again around AD 1350 based on linguistic and ethnohistoric accounts. This paper briefly reviews the available archaeological information concerning migration to discuss if migration can be viewed in the archaeological record, in this instance.
The second paper titled “Dental Analysis of Precontact Individuals in the Greater Nicoya Region of Nicaragua” contains the results from the bioarcheological analysis of dentition from 21 archaeological sites in Pacific Nicaragua. The goal of this study was to see if a change in diet could be viewed through macroscopic dental analysis.
The third paper titled “Isotopic Analysis of Diet and Migration” contains the results from stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen testing using enamel carbonates and collagen from dentin. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are used to evaluate the diet of individuals, while oxygen isotopes are used to discuss potential migration within the region.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.537
Funding Information
Food Connections Grant from the University of Kentucky
Robert M. Odear Research Fund from the University of Kentucky
Recommended Citation
Whitten, Ashley Nichols, "Diet and Migration in the Prehistoric Populations in the Greater Nicoya Region of Nicaragua" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology. 71.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/71
