A Biocultural Perspective on the Biological Disruptions of a Sector of the Nueva Esperanza Site during the Early Muisca Period (1750-900 BP) on the Southern Border of the Sabana de Bogotá

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22380/26652773.3160

Keywords:

bioarchaeology, growth, health, living conditions, physiological stress

Abstract

This biocultural study explores the living conditions and health impacts experienced by a sector of the Early Muisca population (1750-900 BP) interred at the Nueva Esperanza archaeological site. Five indicators of biological disruption were evaluated in 73 individuals, including growth velocity, stature, and the presence of porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, and dental enamel hypoplasia. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) revealed an association between demographic variables and the prevalence of these indicators, which were, in turn, linked to delays in growth velocity among nonadults. The high infant and young adult mortality observed in the sample suggests that early biological stress not only affected developmental processes but may also have played a significant role in reducing life expectancy. We conclude that physiological disruptions during childhood left a lasting imprint on the health and survival of this population during the period under study. 

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Author Biographies

Catherine Marulanda-Guaneme, Posgrado en Antropología Física ENAH

Catherine Marulanda Guaneme is an anthropologist from the University of Caldas in Manizales. She earned her master's and doctorate degrees in Physical Anthropology from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) in Mexico City, where she currently coordinates the same graduate program. Additionally, she is a professor in the undergraduate Archaeology program and the specialty in Forensic Anthropology at ENAH. She has extensive experience in Preventive Archaeology projects for Colombian consulting firms, with notable participation in the rescue and monitoring of section B of the Central Cemetery of Bogotá and in the Nueva Esperanza archaeological rescue project. Her research interests focus on Biological Anthropology, with a particular emphasis on Bioarchaeology and Taphonomy. She has published articles in international journals on the Nueva Esperanza site, dedicated to reconstructing the living conditions of its inhabitants. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Mexican Association of Biological Anthropology (AMAB).

Claudia Mercedes Rojas-Sepúlveda , Departamento de Antropología. Universidad Nacional de Colombia-Sede Bogotá

Claudia Mercedes Rojas Sepúlveda holds a Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from Aix-Marseille Université. She has a master's degree in Biological Anthropology from the Université de la Méditerranée and is an anthropologist from the National University of Colombia. Her research focuses on the area of Biological and Biocultural Anthropology, particularly on the living conditions of past peoples through Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, and Paleoepidemiology. She has published several articles in international journals. She is a member of the Société d’Anthropologie de Paris and the Paleopathology Association, where she served as vice-president from 2012 to 2013. She is also a member of the permanent committee for the PAMINSA (Paleopathology Association Meeting in South America) and a researcher with the Biological Anthropology Research Group (GIAB) at the National University of Colombia, where she has been a professor since 2014.

Tatiana Santa Ríos, Investigadora Independiente

Tatiana Santa Ríos is an anthropologist from the National University of Colombia and holds a master's degree in history from the University of Los Andes. She has served as the coordinator of the archaeology department at major companies such as ACON and INERCO Consultoría Colombia, and currently works with Enel CODENSA. From 2012 to 2015, she was in charge of executing the archaeological management plan for the Nueva Esperanza Project.

Lourdes Márquez Morfín, Posgrado en Antropología Física ENAH

Lourdes Márquez Morfín holds a degree in Physical Anthropology from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) and a Ph.D. in History from El Colegio de México. She joined the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in 1977. Her current research focuses on health, nutrition, and demography in both pre-Hispanic and colonial populations, based on the analysis of skeletal remains from archaeological and historical sites. She served as the head of the Physical Anthropology Department at INAH and as Deputy Director of Research at ENAH. She is in charge of the Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology research lines for the Physical Anthropology postgraduate program at ENAH. She has published articles in international journals and authored books on health, society, and paleodemography in Mesoamerica.

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Published

2025-12-16

How to Cite

Marulanda-Guaneme, Catherine, Claudia Mercedes Rojas-Sepúlveda, Tatiana Santa Ríos, and Lourdes Márquez Morfín. 2025. “A Biocultural Perspective on the Biological Disruptions of a Sector of the Nueva Esperanza Site During the Early Muisca Period (1750-900 BP) on the Southern Border of the Sabana De Bogotá”. Arqueología Y Patrimonio 5 (2): 3160 . https://doi.org/10.22380/26652773.3160.

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2025): Nueva Esperanza

Section

Sección especial