Hello and happy holidays to all!  Thanks to everyone who replied to my earlier question about typologies, especially horseshoes- you guys are great, and helped out immeasurably!  
This listserv is such a great resource, like a continually changing roundtable discussion.  Thanks to everyone who has kept it going these many years...you rock and have my continued admiration and appreciation...(you know who you are, though I want to also single out Anita for her unbridled awesomeness)... {thunderous applause to everybody!}
 
Now then, as for my question- we are trying to identify some bones from the site of an 18th century Cuban Fishing camp (Rancho) on the west coast of South Florida.  They appear to be lamb, but we were not certain if there's a way to tell lamb from mutton, or if that's even a worthwhile distinction.  In the present day, lamb is more of a specialty/special occasion ingredient in Cuban cuisine, but we wondered if anyone knows about economic factors/social status regarding lamb meat vs. mutton in the past, especially in the hispanic diaspora.
 
The difference between the two is that "lamb" typically refers to a young sheep under 12 months old which has no permanent incisor teeth, whereas "mutton" refers to sheep older than a year, who have more than two permanent incisors.  Of course, what we found are butchered bones, without teeth, so this distinction seems somewhat difficult. 
 
In other cultures, mutton has often been considered a less desirable, though cheaper (and tougher) meat, and therefore more available as a food source to the poor; lamb on the other hand was more tender/desirable but also more expensive and thus eaten largely by the rich/elite.  We are trying to evaluate if this might apply to the late 18th century Cubans as well- any suggestions or ideas?
 
Thanks,
-Leo Demski
Archaeological Assistant
Sarasota History Center
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(941) 861-6891