Human Osteology and Mortuary Practices in the Eastern Trans-Pecos Region of Texas

This monograph presents an osteological and mortuary analysis for the eastern Trans-Pecos region of Texas. The work was undertaken for the Center for Big Bend Studies (CBBS) of Sul Ross State University, as part of the Center’s Trans-Pecos Archaeological Program. The study includes archaeological and osteological data from 123 interments, including those recovered by the CBBS as well as those available in private and organizational archives, publications and collections. Mortuary practices are characterized by longevity of tradition among both mobile and semi-sedentary occupants of the region. Osteological and mortuary evidence for social inequality and sex differences was examined within and among cultural groups, including burial practices, occupational activity patterns and health stresses in childhood and adulthood. Isotopic analysis of human remains allowed the examination of subsistence regimes among mobile foragers and semi-sedentary village occupants of the La Junta district.