Demographic history and genetic structure in pre-Hispanic Central Mexico

Science. 2023 May 12;380(6645):eadd6142. doi: 10.1126/science.add6142. Epub 2023 May 12.

Abstract

Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica are two distinct cultural areas in northern and central Mexico, respectively, that hosted numerous pre-Hispanic civilizations between 2500 BCE and 1521 CE. The division between these regions shifted southward because of severe droughts ~1100 years ago, which allegedly drove a population replacement in central Mexico by Aridoamerican peoples. In this study, we present shotgun genome-wide data from 12 individuals and 27 mitochondrial genomes from eight pre-Hispanic archaeological sites across Mexico, including two at the shifting border of Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica. We find population continuity that spans the climate change episode and a broad preservation of the genetic structure across present-day Mexico for the past 2300 years. Lastly, we identify a contribution to pre-Hispanic populations of northern and central Mexico from two ancient unsampled "ghost" populations.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Genetic Structures*
  • Hispanic or Latino*
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Mexico
  • Population Dynamics