Paleoethnobotanical evidence of Early Formative period diet in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract In this paper, we discuss dietary and possible medicinal practices of an Early Formative period (2000–1000 BCE) community transitioning from Archaic-style to Formative-style lifeways. The results we present come from the analysis of plant residues, including microbotanical and macrobotanical remains, which were excavated at the village site of La Consentida in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. Phytoliths and starch grains were recovered by sonication from twenty ceramic and lithic artifacts. The microbotanical analyses identified plant remains from four different families: Bombaceae (flowering plants), Dioscoreaceae (yam family), Fabaceae (bean family), and Poaceae (grasses, including maize). We also report on limited macrobotanical analysis, including a seed of guapinol (Hymenaea courbaril). Together, these results complement existing archaeological studies of lithic and ceramic artifacts from La Consentida, as well as stable isotopic analyses of human remains from the site.