Direct dating of 52 human skeletons and isotopic dietary evidence for early maize consumption from two rock shelters in the Maya Mountains of Belize

Since 2014 research in two shelters in the tropical forests of southern Belize has documented well preserved and persistent used mortuary and midden contexts dating from 12,000 to 1,000 Cal B.P. Keith Prufer, University of New Mexico, will outline the broader research goals of the project, technical challenges for dating early human remains from the tropics, evidence for the adoption of maize as a dietary staple, and some future directions for this research.