Dietary Inferences From Dental Occlusal Microwear at Mission San Luis de Apalachee Jason M. Organ, 1 * Mark F. Teaford, 1 and Clark Spencer Larsen 2 1 Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 2 Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 KEY WORDS dental microwear; tooth use; Spanish Florida; diet ABSTRACT San Luis de Apalachee, one of a chain of Roman Catholic missions established in Spanish Florida (modern states of Georgia and Florida) in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was the principal center of missionization of native populations in the Florida pan- handle. Paleoethnobotanical remains yield evidence of production of various kinds of crops at the site, typical of nearly all mission period sites in the area. Stable isotope (carbon and nitrogen) analysis and dental caries evi- dence suggest that maize was not as important in the diet at San Luis as in other contemporary settings in the region. Ethnohistorical research indicates a heavier reli- ance on meat consumption compared to other mission settings. This study examines dental microwear of occlusal surfaces of maxillary molars from San Luis and five other Native American mission period sites in Span- ish Florida. Epoxy casts of molar crushing facets were photographed under 5003 magnification, using a scan- ning electron microscope. Photomicrographs were digi- tized using Microware 4.02 (Ungar [2002a]) and statisti- cally evaluated using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s multiple comparisons tests. These analyses re- veal that the frequency of pitting on the San Luis molars is significantly greater than for other mission period sites. Consistent with bioarchaeological, historical, and archaeological documentation, these findings suggest that diets were different in the San Luis natives in com- parison with the other native populations in Spanish Florida. Various dietary factors likely came into play, resulting in these differences, and may have included significantly greater meat consumption at San Luis. Am J Phys Anthropol 128:801–811, 2005. V V C 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. The Franciscan mission system was the most signifi- cant initial contact between Europeans and indigenous populations living in Spanish Florida (the modern states of Georgia and Florida; Hann and McEwan, 1998; Tho- mas, 1990; Worth, 2001). By all accounts, the arrival of Europeans and establishment of mission centers throughout the colony resulted in dramatic changes in health, foodways, and lifestyle of native groups inhabit- ing the region. The decision to establish missions among the provinces of the three key native tribes contacted — (Apalachee in the Florida panhandle, Timucua in north Florida, and Guale on the Georgia coast) — was based on the productivity of native farmers in these regions and their potential to supply food and other resources, both for native and European consumption and for export (Scarry, 1993). During the late sixteenth century and continuing into the first few years of the eighteenth century, the native peoples living throughout this large region were assimi- lated into the mission system, providing a relatively inexpensive and secure source of food and labor (Hann, 1988, 1996; Larsen, 2001; Worth, 2001). Ultimately, how- ever, the combined effects of labor exploitation, disease, and declining quality of life led to dramatic depopulation and the eventual disappearance of nearly all indigenous populations in the region (for an overview, see Larsen et al., 2001a). Some of the biological consequences of colonization for native populations are recorded in the human biostratig- raphy of Spanish Florida mission period sites (Larsen, 1990, 2001). For instance, stable isotope analyses docu- ment evidence of profound dietary shifts in the late pre- historic to mission transition (Hutchinson et al., 1998; Larsen et al., 1992, 2001b). During the mission period, native populations living on the Atlantic coast reduced the amount of marine food in their diets, in accordance with a general increase in maize consumption through all of Spanish Florida. Corroborating evidence from den- tal microwear analysis documented a potential transition in food preparation techniques through time, and ultimate homogeneity in those techniques during the mission era, concomitant with shifts in diet toward greater homogeneity throughout the region (Teaford et al., 2001). The present study focuses on the diet of natives at San Luis de Apalachee, a mission period site occupied from 1656–1704, located in the modern city of Tallahas- see, Florida. San Luis was the western center of missio- nization in the region (Larsen, 2001). Owing to its cen- Grant sponsor: National Science Foundation; Grant sponsor: National Endowment for the Humanities; Grant sponsor: Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research; Grant sponsor: St. Catherines Island Foundation. *Correspondence to: Jason M. Organ, Center for Functional Anat- omy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument St., Room 303, Baltimore, MD 21205. E-mail: jorgan@jhmi.edu Received 25 June 2004; accepted 27 January 2005. DOI 10.1002/ajpa.20277 Published online 30 August 2005 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). V V C 2005 WILEY-LISS, INC. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 128:801–811 (2005)