Virgin Anasazi Diet as Demonstrated Through the Analysis of Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes

The results of a stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis on the bone collagen from 17 individuals recovered from eight Virgin Anasazi sites in southern Utah are reported. The results indicate that the Virgin Anasazi Basketmaker (A.D. 1-700) were full-time maize agriculturalists and that the diet remained essentially stable into and throughout the Pueblo (A.D. 700-1250) period. This is contrary to the widely held view today that the Virgin Anasazi practiced a mixed subsistence economy throughout their occupation, with agricultural intensification occurring during later Puebloan times. Although wild plants and animals were consumed, they were not a significant source of annual calories.