Paleoepidemiology of pre-Columbian and Colonial Panamá Viejo: a preliminary study

Abstract

Panamá Viejo, a coastal site in the Panamanian Pacific, was occupied from ca. AD 850 to 1200 and from the arrival of the Europeans in AD 1519 to 1671. This paper describes the bone anomalies observed and recorded in the pre- and post-contact skeletal series from the site. The bone anomaly frequencies were calculated, taking their observability into account. A number of changes were found between the two periods, concerning MSM (Musculoskeletal Stress Markers), DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease), porotic hyperostosis and trauma, as well as changes that are classified as ‘cultural’. However, these differences were significant only in the case of porotic hyperostosis and the ‘cultural’ anomalies. Further investigations using an enlarged series should clarify the impact of European contact in this region.

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