Assessing the genetic diversity in the extant Chachapoya population from northeastern Peru using uniparental DNA markers (mtDNA and Y-chromosome)

Summary

The aim of the study is to elucidate the origin and population history of the human communities from northeastern Peru, with both contemporary and ancient DNA data. For the first phase of the study, contemporary Y-chromosomal (23 STRs) and mitochondrial (HVR1 and HVR2 sequences) data from four populations (Chachapoya=276; Jivaro=47; Huancas=21 and Cajamarca=34) distributed in the northeastern region of Amazonas (Peru), was assessed.

At haplogroup level, the markers showed differential proportions of non-native genetic contribution (mtDNA=11%; Y-Chromosome=43%). This reflects the history of European colonization that took place during the 16th century, which favored male-mediated European gene flow into the native gene pool. However, even though the Chachapoya area shares a common history of European colonization with several other populations in the Americas, the levels and nature of genetic diversity suggest that the Chachapoya has had a distinctive demographic history, shaped by their geographical position between highlands and jungle. For instance, the Chachapoya population shows a pattern of population expansion seen only in few other South American populations. Another interesting feature is that the Chachapoya assumes a basal position in mtDNA phylogenetic trees within South American populations, which may suggest an early origin for this singular people.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• What was Chachapoyas?: Towards a cultural geography of the northeastern Peruvian Andes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

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