MtDNA Analysis of the Paquimé (Casas Grandes), Mexico, Population

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ancient DNA in Service of Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This research project investigates the population interred at the archaeological site known as Paquimé (Casas Grandes), Mexico between two time periods known as the Viejo Period (700 - 1200 A.D.) and the Medio Period (1200 - 1450 A.D.). There was a shift in culture during the latter period marked by changes in material culture and the bringing together of larger populations near and within the city center known as Paquimé. Several scholars have suggested that this extraordinary cultural shift is principally due to migrations from other regions (for example: Di Peso 1974; Lekson 1999; Laekson 2015). The research conducted at this archaeological site addresses questions about migration patterns, individual identity, genetic relationships, and mortuary rituals using multiple lines of evidence including molecular data, archaeological data, and historic literature. Through full mitogenome analysis for the preliminary portion of this study, individual interments are examined for their genetic relationships in the greater context of their archaeological situ and understanding of the site at large. This data, when compared to that previously published, aids in our understanding of the past occupation and potential population movement at the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ancient DNA in Service of Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25987