Ancient DNA Studies in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica

Abstract

Mesoamerica is a historically and culturally defined geographic area comprising current central and south Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and border regions of Honduras, western Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica. The permanent settling of Mesoamerica was accompanied by the development of agriculture and pottery manufacturing (2500 BCE–150 CE), which led to the rise of several cultures connected by commerce and farming. Hence, Mesoamericans probably carried an invaluable genetic diversity partly lost during the Spanish conquest and the subsequent colonial period. Mesoamerican ancient DNA (aDNA) research has mainly focused on the study of mitochondrial DNA in the Basin of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula and its nearby territories, particularly during the Postclassic period (900–1519 CE). Despite limitations associated with the poor preservation of samples in tropical areas, recent methodological improvements pave the way for a deeper analysis of Mesoamerica. Here, we review how aDNA research has helped discern population dynamics patterns in the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican context, how it supports archaeological, linguistic, and anthropological conclusions, and finally, how it offers new working hypotheses.

The Preceramic and Early Ceramic Periods in Belize and the Central Maya Lowlands

“…These genetic data support reconstructions of a complex process of multiple migrations into the lowlands from North and South America (Chatters et al 2014;Posth et al 2018;Prufer et al 2019;Roca-Rada et al 2020;Wrobel et al 2021a; also see Ochoa-Lugo et al 2016 for connections between prehispanic Maya and East Asian populations). However, some of the remains indicate no biological connection between the earliest humans in Mesoamerica and the ancestors of the people who would become the Maya (Chatters et al 2014;Posth et al 2018).…”

“…Moreover, current genetic evidence provided by skeletons from southern Belizean rockshelters paints a complex picture of incipient development. The aDNA data from these skeletons indicate that preceramic people buried in southern Belize possess some ancestry associated with modern people from lower Central America and northern South America (Posth et al 2018;Roca-Rada et al 2020). Migrants from these regions (who were part of the initial Clovis population [Anzick] who moved into Central and South America) appear to have traveled north again and intermixed with populations already in Belize in the Early Archaic.…”

Environmental DNA reveals arboreal cityscapes at the Ancient Maya Center of Tikal

“…This achievement represents a technological leap forward for the field of archaeology. Other scholars working with ancient DNA have encountered issues with degradation of genetic material over time 44 – 46 as we have in our study. Notwithstanding the challenges of preservation, it is clear that in some contexts, e.g., clayey strata, DNA can be preserved and recovered.…”

Life and Death Among the Earliest Maya: A Review of Early and Middle Preclassic Burials From the Maya World

“…As methods for extraction, sequencing, and analysis are rapidly improving, prices for this work are plummeting, allowing sampling from a greater number of individuals and more complete sequencing of individual genomes. Currently, most genomic research in the Maya area has focused on the initial peopling of the region during the Late Pleistocene and Archaic (e.g., Chatters et al 2014;Posth et al 2018;Roca-Rada et al 2020). The creation of large reference samples will allow comparative analyses that will explore a range of other specific questions about Maya history and social organization.…”