Other Research Projects
La Tiza
Christina Conlee (Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos) and I are investigating the ancient inhabitants at the site of La Tiza in the Nasca region of southern Peru, occupied from the Late Formative until the Late Intermediate Period. The burials at the site reveal a variety of interesting features such as headless burials and new tomb types. We are investigating population movement at this site using strontium and oxygen isotope analysis.
-
Conlee CA, Buzon MR, Noriega Gutierrez A, Simonetti A, Creaser RA. (2009). Identifying foreigners versus locals in a burial population from Nasca, Peru: An investigation using strontium isotope analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 36:2755-2764.
-
Buzon MR, Conlee CA, Bowen GJ. (In Press). Refining oxygen isotope analysis in the Nasca Valley: an investigation of water sources and archaeological samples. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
This research was featured in the program "Nasca Lines: The Buried Secrets" on the National Geographic Channel (premiere February 2010).
Cuzco Valley
Valerie Andrushko and I investigated the migration at the site of Chokepukio in the Cuzco Valley of Peru during the Inka period. Using strontium isotope analysis we provided new information regarding population movement during this time.
-
Andrushko VA, Buzon MR, Simonetti A, Creaser RA. (2009). Strontium isotope evidence for prehistoric migration at Chokepukio, Valley of Cuzco, Peru. Latin American Antiquity 20:57-75.
-
Andrushko VA, Buzon MR, Gijbaja AM, McEwan GF, Simonetti A, Creaser RA. (2011). Investigating a child sacrifice event from the Inca heartland. Journal of Archaeological Science 38:323-333.
Legion of Honor Cemetery
In collaboration with Dr. Phillip Walker (as well as Susan Kerr and Francine Drayer) I conducted a project involving the analysis of paleopathological data collected from poor individuals buried in the forgotten 19th century Legion of Honor (Golden Gate) cemetery in San Francisco.
- Buzon MR, Walker PL, Drayer Verhagen F, Kerr S. (2005). Health and disease in 19th century San Francisco: skeletal evidence from a forgotten cemetery. Historical Archaeology 39(2):1-15.
SU Site, New Mexico
Anne Grauer and I used bioarchaeological methods to explore the subsistence patterns of the inhabitants buried at the 4th century SU Site. We determined that that this population was likely in transition between hunting and gathering and agriculture.
- Buzon MR and Grauer AL. (2002). A bioarchaeological analysis of subsistence strategies at the SU site, New Mexico. KIVA: The Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History 68(2):5-24.