A Paleogenomic Reconstruction of the Deep Population History of the Andes

TLDR

The population history of the Central and South Central Andes remains poorly understood, especially the influence of major societies such as the Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Inca. The study assembled genome‑wide data from 89 individuals spanning ~9,000–500 BP, focusing on the rise and fall of state societies. Genetic structure began forming by 5,800 BP, with subsequent bi‑directional gene flow between the Highlands and Coast, minimal admixture among neighboring groups from ~2,000–500 BP, but cosmopolitanism in Tiwanaku and Inca heartlands, and evidence of long‑range mobility connecting the Andes to Argentina and the Northwest Andes to the Amazon Basin.

Abstract

There are many unanswered questions about the population history of the Central and South Central Andes, particularly regarding the impact of large-scale societies, such as the Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Inca. We assembled genome-wide data on 89 individuals dating from ∼9,000-500 years ago (BP), with a particular focus on the period of the rise and fall of state societies. Today's genetic structure began to develop by 5,800 BP, followed by bi-directional gene flow between the North and South Highlands, and between the Highlands and Coast. We detect minimal admixture among neighboring groups between ∼2,000–500 BP, although we do detect cosmopolitanism (people of diverse ancestries living side-by-side) in the heartlands of the Tiwanaku and Inca polities. We also highlight cases of long-range mobility connecting the Andes to Argentina and the Northwest Andes to the Amazon Basin.Video AbstracteyJraWQiOiI4ZjUxYWNhY2IzYjhiNjNlNzFlYmIzYWFmYTU5NmZmYyIsImFsZyI6IlJTMjU2In0.eyJzdWIiOiI5ZTJmZjA2Y2Y3NzBkOTE2YWRiOWJmZGYyODdkN2FlZCIsImtpZCI6IjhmNTFhY2FjYjNiOGI2M2U3MWViYjNhYWZhNTk2ZmZjIiwiZXhwIjoxNjMyMDEyNjg4fQ.q1opfhSnVRpLzJJPWJTcccPEjUFmtiYXJZJagxcOocE7keapAbeZUmo1Haw5cv1y1TdWKT6KkrDNoC5Js1tTLj6kcV_FFA6xdzX7GCelcdmXM13xl-v1K8pdiU7bHSpfYUvb93BRi CBD9aj0pz-U0yCG4C51MgvypoqVP7kY5X7rC-0YQGRQNxmaoXPsXjOma7_NPOPDCUc0OP21aKYk_LO8eF-4lOb_3g6aNyPXM5txsfBhZP0s1PUwgfD2Ky460_nSKcBhpwjFQjwirFfQFpQ2Yphgkvm9PLqo-g-wVcWNXHrEPz0iDEHs_XDHlVnXBGm5_RUhYahM4lGOZW4yjg(mp4, (26.07 MB) Download video