ABSTRACT
Ancient peoples living along the Pacific Coast of south-eastern Mexico inhabited a lush environment with abundant and diverse plant and animal species. Barbara Voorhies's research has shown that archaic people lived seasonally on islands in lagoons and along river channels, fishing, hunting, and collecting plants and animals and other resources. Although there is a great deal of variation in the food-species values presented, making it difficult to provide precise estimates of the relative importance of various foods in the diet of prehistoric Soconusco people. It is still possible to construct a model of changing diet in the Soconusco Region from the Archaic Period through the Late Post-Classic Period. In the Archaic Period, around 4800 BP, people subsisted on a diet that was high in either maize or marine species such as shrimp. Finally, it is clear that larger human data sets are necessary to reach a clear understanding of prehistoric diet in the Soconusco region.
