Programa de Genética Humana, ICBM, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, 8380453, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA.
Genome Biol Evol. 2024 Sep 3;16(9). doi: 10.1093/gbe/evae196.
The South American archaeological record has ample evidence of the socio-cultural dynamism of human populations in the past. This has also been supported through the analysis of ancient genomes, by showing evidence of gene flow across the region. While the extent of these signals is yet to be tested, the growing number of ancient genomes allows for more fine-scaled hypotheses to be evaluated. In this study, we assessed the genetic diversity of individuals associated with the Inka ritual, Qhapaq hucha. As part of this ceremony, one or more individuals were buried with Inka and local-style offerings on mountain summits along the Andes, leaving a very distinctive record. Using paleogenomic tools, we analyzed three individuals: two newly generated genomes from El Plomo Mountain (Chile) and El Toro Mountain (Argentina), and a previously published genome from Argentina (Aconcagua Mountain). Our results reveal a complex demographic scenario with each of the individuals showing different genetic affinities. Furthermore, while two individuals showed genetic similarities with present-day and ancient populations from the southern region of the Inka empire, the third individual may have undertaken long-distance movement. The genetic diversity we observed between individuals from similar cultural contexts supports the highly diverse strategies Inka implemented while incorporating new territories. More broadly, this research contributes to our growing understanding of the population dynamics in the Andes by discussing the implications and temporality of population movements in the region.
南美洲的考古记录充分证明了过去人类社会文化的动态性。通过对古代基因组的分析，也证明了该地区存在基因流动。尽管这些信号的程度仍有待检验，但越来越多的古代基因组为更精细的假说提供了评估的机会。在这项研究中，我们评估了与印加仪式 Qhapaq hucha 相关个体的遗传多样性。作为该仪式的一部分，一个或多个人与印加和当地风格的祭品一起被埋在安第斯山脉的山顶上，留下了非常独特的记录。我们使用古基因组学工具分析了三个人：来自智利的 El Plomo 山和阿根廷的 El Toro 山的两个新生成的基因组，以及之前发表的来自阿根廷的 Aconcagua 山的基因组。我们的结果揭示了一个复杂的人口情景，每个个体都表现出不同的遗传亲和力。此外，虽然两个人的遗传与印加帝国南部地区的现代和古代群体相似，但第三个人可能进行了长途迁徙。我们观察到来自相似文化背景的个体之间的遗传多样性，支持了印加在融入新领土时所采用的高度多样化的策略。更广泛地说，这项研究通过讨论该地区人口流动的影响和时间性，有助于我们对安第斯地区人口动态的理解不断加深。
