Colonialism came late to northern Guatemala. The Spanish began to establish missions in the Peten Lakes region in the early 1700s, nearly 200 years after initial contact with the Mayas. Excavations in 2011–2012 at the Mission San Bernabé revealed European goods, nonnative animal species, and burial patterns that marked a new lifestyle. Who lived at the Mission San Bernabé, and where did they come from? The Spanish resettled indigenous populations to facilitate the colonization process; however, isotopic data are inconsistent with large population movements. Instead, strontium and oxygen isotope values in the tooth enamel and bones of individuals buried at the mission suggest a mostly local population. The data suggest in-migration from Belize, a region under nominal Spanish control, but with pre-Hispanic ties to the Peten. Changes did not come from migrants crossing a border; instead, the border itself moved and brought the colonial world to the Peten Mayas.

中文翻译：

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危地马拉圣伯纳贝特派团的早期殖民主义和人口流动

殖民主义迟到危地马拉北部。西班牙人于 1700 年代初开始在佩滕湖地区设立传教团，距玛雅人初次接触已近 200 年。2011 年至 2012 年在圣伯纳贝使命进行的发掘揭示了标志着一种新生活方式的欧洲商品、非本土动物物种和埋葬模式。谁住在圣伯纳贝传教区，他们来自哪里？西班牙人重新安置土著居民以促进殖民进程；然而，同位素数据与大量人口流动不一致。相反，在任务中埋葬的个人牙釉质和骨骼中的锶和氧同位素值表明主要是当地人口。数据表明来自伯利兹的移民，该地区名义上由西班牙控制，但与佩滕有前西班牙裔关系。变化并非来自过境的移民；相反，边界本身移动并将殖民世界带到了佩滕玛雅人。