Unraveling the Genetic Threads of History: mtDNA HVS-I Analysis Reveals the Ancient Past of the Aburra Valley

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive genetic study focused on pre-Hispanic individuals who inhabited the Aburrá Valley in Antioquia, Colombia, between the tenth and seventeenth centuries AD. Employing a genetic approach, the study analyzed maternal lineages using DNA samples obtained from skeletal remains. The results illuminate a remarkable degree of biological diversity within these populations and provide insights into their genetic connections with other ancient and indigenous groups across the American continent. The findings strongly support the widely accepted hypothesis that the migration of the first American settlers occurred through Beringia, a land bridge connecting Siberia to North America during the last Ice Age. Subsequently, these early settlers journeyed southward, crossing the North American ice cap. Of particular note, the study unveils the presence of ancestral lineages from Asian populations, which played a pivotal role in populating the Americas. The implications of these results extend beyond delineating migratory routes and settlement patterns of ancient populations. They also enrich our understanding of the genetic diversity inherent in indigenous populations of the region. By revealing the genetic heritage of pre-Hispanic individuals from the Aburrá Valley, this study offers valuable insights into the history of human migration and settlement in the Americas. Furthermore, it enhances our comprehension of the intricate genetic tapestry that characterizes indigenous communities in the area.

Keywords: Colombia; aburrá valley; ancient DNA; antioquia; haplogroup; mtDNA HVS-I; pre-hispanic.

Figure 1

Geographic overview of excavation sites for pre-Hispanic human remains in the department of Antioquia, municipalities of Medellín, and Envigado.

Figure 2

Phylogenetic tree (samples classified in haplogroups and haplotypes). All sorted samples are combined into a resulting tree that includes all rCRS-related polymorphisms. The polymorphisms marked in blue are private polymorphisms for this group, already known by Phylotree. Individuals are marked in green. Based on Phylotree [16], the phylogenetic tree was constructed using the neighbor-joining algorithm. The samples names have been abbreviated for clarity.

Figure 3

Network analysis of ten HVS-I sequences was performed using the reduced median algorithm. The star contraction option was applied to condense extensive data by identifying phylogenetic clusters into a single ancestral type.

Figure 4

MDS analysis comparing haplotype frequencies of pre-Hispanic populations. AP: ancient population; CP: current population (the stress value for the matrix is 0.05841, with an RSQ of 0.98776).

Figure 5

Geographic locations of analyzed populations in the Americas. These zones are color-coded to simplify identification: blue: Arctic and Subarctic; green: northwestern United States; orange: Great Basin; yellow: southwestern United States; purple: Mesoamerican regions; gray: Caribbean; dark blue: Colombia and light green: South America.