Reconsidering the lives of the earliest Puerto Ricans: Mortuary Archaeology and bioarchaeology of the Ortiz site

We possess rather little detailed information on the lives of the first inhabitants of Puerto Rico-the so-called Archaic or Pre-Arawak people-despite more than a century of archeological research. This is particularly true bioarchaeologically, as fewer than twenty burials of the several millennia of the Archaic Age have been recovered, let alone analyzed in any detail. Here, we present the results of archeological, osteological, radiometric, and isotopic analysis of five individuals from the Ortiz site in Cabo Rojo, southwestern Puerto Rico. Study of these previously unpublished remains, which represent a 20-25% increase in the sample size of remains attributed to the period, provides many critical insights into earliest Puerto Rican lifeways, including aspects of mortuary practice, paleodiet, and possibly even social organization. A review of their burial treatment finds a mostly standardized set of mortuary practices, a noteworthy finding given the site's potential millennium-long use as a mortuary space and the possibly distinct place(s) of origin of the individuals interred there. Although osteological analysis was limited by poor preservation, we were able to reconstruct aspects of the demography that indicate the presence of both male and female adults. Stable isotope analysis revealed dietary differences from later Ceramic Age individuals, while dental pathology indicated heavy masticatory wear attributable to diet and/or non-masticatory function. Perhaps most crucially, direct AMS dating of the remains confirms these as the oldest burials yet recovered from the island, providing us both with a glimpse into the lives of some of the island's first inhabitants, and with tantalizing clues to the existence of a different degree of cultural complexity than is often ascribed to these earliest peoples. The existence of what radiocarbon dates suggest may be a persistent formal cemetery space at the Ortiz site has potentially significant implications concerning the territoriality, mobility, and social organization of the earliest peoples of southwestern Puerto Rico.

Automated summary

Despite over a century of archaeological research, we have limited information about the lives of the first inhabitants of Puerto Rico, known as the Archaic or Pre-Arawak people. This study presents the analysis of five individuals from the Ortiz site in Puerto Rico, shedding light on their mortuary practices, paleodiet, and potential social organization. The findings provide insights into the earliest lifeways in Puerto Rico, indicating standardized mortuary practices and the presence of both male and female adults. Stable isotope analysis reveals dietary differences from later periods, and dental pathology suggests heavy wear from diet and/or non-masticatory function. The direct AMS dating confirms these as the oldest burials on the island, hinting at a higher cultural complexity than previously thought.