Classic Period Migration in the Maya Area

Abstract

This study addresses long-standing issues regarding the nature of interregional interaction between central Mexico and the Maya area through the analysis of dental variation. In total, 23 sites were included in this study, 20 Maya sites, and the Teotihuacán, Tula, and Cholula sites. The large number of sites allows for a more comprehensive picture of population structure within the Maya area and between these two regions. This study estimates biological distances between sites, and it identifies individual Maya sites that are more genetically variable than expected. This would indicate that they might have been recipients of differential interaction from external populations. The results of this study support hypotheses about widespread interaction between the Maya and Central Mexico.