Human Diet at El Mirador Cave

This work presents the results of a combination of different proxies, such as animal and plant remains, isotope analysis, and dental microwear, for the different chrono-cultural phases recorded at El Mirador cave. Together, they offer an overview of the economic and dietary practices of the groups that made use of the cave, which are especially interesting in foraging communities with sociocultural complexity. Evidence of milling or pounding of cereals, together with cooking and processing of animal carcasses, suggest that food processing and consumption occurred inside the cave. The isotope analysis of individuals from the Chalcolithic burial evidence a diet based mainly on animal products complemented with plant material. The dental microwear pattern shows the same trend for the individuals ascribed to the Bronze Age, a relatively low abrasive diet in comparison with other populations from the same period. This could be related to either the inclusion of soft food in their diets (e.g., meat, animal by-products) or the food processing methods they employed. Indeed, the use of pottery vessels for cooking or flour production changed the physical composition of food, making it softer and easier to eat.