From Saladoid to Taino: Human Behavior from Human Remains in the Greater Antilles

This is a brief survey of some physical and potentially cultural traits found in the archaeological record along the Antilles chain. Continuity and change in physical attributes such as body size and robusticity are discussed in light of apparent population expansion from the South American mainland up into the Caribbean basin. A comparison of overall health between islands and what may represent social behavior is examined using the skeletal remains of prehistoric Caribbean individuals at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.