Genetic studies of Olmecs and Teotihuacanos

[archaeologist]

There has been many speculations about the Olmecs and other Mesoamerican civilisations. Some of the speculations have even wanted to place the origin of these civilisations in the so called Old World (Africa or Eurasia). But archaeological and genetic research places the Mesoamerican cultures into a fully Native American context both culturally and biologically.



Here are two studies of interest, one about the ancient Olmecs, and the other about the famous Mesoamerican metropol Teotihuacan.

In 2018 the DNA of two Olmec bodies were studied, one from San Lorenso and one from Loma del Zapote in Mexico. The DNA showed affinity with other Native American peoples and not with peoples from the "Old World":

"DNA STUDIES AND THE ORIGIN OF THE OLMECS

ENRIQUE VILLAMAR BECERRIL


Creators of a culture in which they left an original display of prodigious creativity and talent, the first interpretation regarding the Olmecs addressed their possible ethnic origin, based on their most distinctive stone manifestation: a colossal head, Monument A of Tres Zapotes, according to its subsequent classification. The proposal dates back to 1871 when, ironically, the Olmec was not included in the panorama of archaeological cultures in Mexico. During a tour of Veracruz, José Melgar, interested in antiquities, learned of the fortuitous discovery of an enormous stone sculpture by peasants in a Hueyapan hacienda, today Tres Zapotes. Without precedent for a similar piece in the then corpus of pre-Hispanic sculpture, José Melgar contemplated an unusual, surprising and enigmatic demonstration of the inexhaustible cultural wealth that awaited on Mexican soil. Skilled artisans detailed the racial physiognomy of the face sculpted in the stone, Melgar considered. In this he saw reliable evidence of transoceanic contacts, long before Columbus, which led to the presence of black individuals in America. Over the years, the idea of ​​the African origin of the Olmecs lingers in the minds of many people, as the same facial features that caused Melgar's astonishment ended up being the constant in Olmec monuments. What information was missing could provide the skeletal remains.

In the investigations of the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Archaeological Project at the sites of San Lorenzo and Loma del Zapote, several human burials from the Olmec period were found. The bone consistency in two of them allowed the study of their mitochondrial DNA to be carried out successfully, as part of an investigation that proposes the comparative analysis of the genetic information of the Olmecs with that obtained from subjects from other Mesoamerican societies, under the advice of the specialists María de Lourdes Muñoz Moreno and Miguel Moreno Galeana, from Cinvestav.


In the cells of our body there are two types of DNA. The nuclear, represented by chromosomes, and the mitochondrial. Mitochondria are small organelles external to the nucleus, responsible for producing the energy required by cellular metabolism. Mitochondrial DNA (ADNMT), contrary to nuclear, is inherited only by the maternal route from sons and daughters, and they have been the only ones to transmit it throughout the history of humanity. Thus, mitochondrial lineages, called haplogroups given their uniparental (maternal) origin, are so ancient that they transcend geographic, cultural, and temporal boundaries. This property of ADNMT offers anthropology a means to trace the historical evolution of contemporary and past populations. Thanks to this, the repertoire of maternal lineages is known on a global scale, their geographical-temporal distribution, and in addition the lineages originating from each continent.


The pioneering study of ADNMT carried out on Olmec individuals, one from San Lorenzo and the other from Loma del Zapote, resulted, in both cases, in the unequivocal presence of the distinctive mutations of the “A” maternal lineage. That is, the origin of the Olmecs is not in Africa but in America, since they share the most abundant of the five mitochondrial haplogroups characteristic of the indigenous populations of our continent: A, B, C, D and X.


Beyond what happened in other latitudes, immersed in their particular environmental mosaic from which they took advantage, the Mesoamerican peoples resolved in a practical and innovative way multiple challenges of their day to day. This led them to forge such diverse societies, whose achievements in countless areas of human endeavor made Mesoamerica an extraordinary cultural area of ​​the ancient world. The underlying talent and its bearers were of local descent, and an example of this is Olmec society, the first Mesoamerican civilization.


Enrique Villamar Becerril. Physical anthropologist from ENAH. Candidate for a doctorate in Mesoamerican studies (UNAM), with an analysis of ADNMT in bone remains from various sites of the Preclassic period.


Villamar Becerril Enrique, "DNA Studies and the Origin of the Olmecs", Mexican Archeology, no. 150, pp. 40-41."

(Translated from Spanish)



ESTUDIOS DE ADN Y EL ORIGEN DE LOS OLMECAS

[archaeologist]

A study of the genetics of the ancient Teotihuacanos. Teotihuacan was one of the largest civilizations in ancient Mesoamerica, located in northeastern Mexico. The city reached its peak in the fourth century AD. with a population of between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants.

Abstract

Background

The Teotihuacan civilisation was the largest one in ancient Mesoamerica. The Teotihuacan city was born in the north-eastern Basin of Mexico around the second century BC, reached its peak in the fourth century AD, and had cultural influence throughout Mesoamerica. At its peak, the size of the city reached more than 20 km2, and the total population is estimated to have increased from 100,000 to 200,000. However, knowledge of the genetic background of the Teotihuacan people is still limited.

Aim

We aimed to determine the mitogenome sequences of the Teotihuacan human remains and compare the ancient and present Mesoamericans. In addition, we aimed to identify the food habits of ancient Teotihuacans.

Subjects and methods

We determined the mitogenome sequences of human remains dated to 250–636 cal AD using target enrichment-coupled next generation sequencing. We also performed stable isotope analysis.

Results

We successfully obtained nearly full-length sequences newly unearthed from a civilian dwelling in the Teotihuacan site. Teotihuacan mitochondrial DNA was classified into the haplogroups in present and ancient Mesoamericans. In addition, Teotihuacan individuals had a diet dependent on C4 plants such as maize.

Conclusion

Genetic diversity varied among the Teotihuacans.

Mizuno, Fuzuki t al, 2023: Bioarchaeological study of ancient Teotihuacans based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences and diet isotopes - Annals of Human Biology

[kel]

2 bodies

doesn't mean much.


Most speculate that the heads represent a small group of newcomers

[archaeologist]

At the same time there are actually Native Americans who look rather similar to the Olmec heads. So it is not necessary to go over the sea to find people who could have stood as models for the heads. There are theories that the heads might represent a line of rulers, who might have had just such a look. Especially ruling groups tend to intermarry so it could have been a special lineage with a bit special look. There are no genetic or archaeological evidence for any people from the "Old World" visiting or colonizing Mesoamerica in precolumbian times. 

But there has surely not been a lack of theories and speculations about foreign visitors from Africa, China, Europe, the Middle East, India or Polynesia.

Olmec alternative origin speculations






One must also remember that the Olmecs made a lot of art besides the giant heads, art that show a variation in phenotypes but still inside the physical variation of Native American peoples.

[archaeologist]

Another interesting article tells about the genetic origins of prehistoric human remains found in Puyil Cave in Tabasco, Mexico. By analyzing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from these remains, the researchers were able to identify several haplotypes, including haplogroups A, A2, C1, C1c and D4, while haplogroup B was absent.

The study showed that these haplotypes have close genetic ties to both ancient and contemporary Maya populations in Mexico and Guatemala, as well as to contemporary indigenous peoples in Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, China and Asia. The results support the theory that Maya ancestors migrated from North America to South America and through the Caribbean.

Abstract

Previous data have established direct archaeological evidence that semisedentary forager-farmers in the Mesoamerican region existed during the millennia preceding the onset of sedentary agrarian life in the Maya area. The present study concerned the identification of the maternal genetic origin of skeletal remains discovered in the Puyil cave through sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA. The individuals pertained to the Archaic and Classic periods and the samples were found inside the Puyil cave located in Tabasco, Mexico, an area occupied by Zoque and Maya populations. The technologies used were next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing. The analysis was was made possible by the development of haplotype networks for comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences from ancient and contemporary civilizations from the American continent and Asia. The sequences displayed haplogroups A, A2, C1, C1c, and D4, while haplogroup B was absent. The haplotype networks showed a close genetic relationship with Maya populations from Mexico and Guatemala and with contemporary native populations from Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, China, and Asia. The analysis with ancient mitochondrial DNA study sequences showed evidence of Maya ancestors’ migration from North to South America and through the Caribbean islands. The results of this study confirm that a Maya ancestor of the ancient remains from the Puyil cave is shared with contemporary Maya and that expansion of the founding haplogroups A, C, and D came from Asia.

Navarro-Romero, Maria Teresa et al, 2021: Mitochondrial DNA Haplotypes in Pre-Hispanic Human Remains from Puyil Cave, Tabasco, Mexico.

[djehuti]

^ I'm so shocked by these findings.

I find it funny how this fallacy came about largely due to this one book:



May the guy rest in peace but his assertions are still carried on today by a fringe (albeit growing one) in Black American circles. I found it ironic how those same folks who complain of their African heritage being stolen by others now attempt to do the same thing.

By the way, Archaeologist, are you Archaeopteryx from ES?

[archaeologist]

Yes, I am the bird from old ES. I wonder if ES ever comes back online? But this site is also good.

[djehuti]

^ I hope ES does come back but in case it can't operate as a running forum it should at least become an archive since so much good info was posted there.

Sept 15, 2024 6:18:07 GMT -5 archaeologist said:

Another interesting article tells about the genetic origins of prehistoric human remains found in Puyil Cave in Tabasco, Mexico. By analyzing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from these remains, the researchers were able to identify several haplotypes, including haplogroups A, A2, C1, C1c and D4, while haplogroup B was absent.

Native American DNA Links to 6 'Founding Mothers'

In contrast there are only 3 Y-chromosomal clades amongst Amerindians-- C-M217, Q-M242, and R-M269

There is a possibility of other lineages that are no longer extant, particular those associated with the ghost population Y identified by autosomes which are associated with Basal East Eurasian populations.

In terms of phenotype, it's obvious that Amerindians experienced diversification to some degree so broad nose and large lips need not be attributed to Africans.

[archaeologist]

Yes ancient Amerindians could be rather diverse phenotypically. There is for example an interesting study from 2020 where four skulls from Quintana Roo in Mexico were examined. They were found in a geographically limited area and belonged to some of the oldest humans in Mexico. And they all exhibited rather different cranial traits.

Astract

The human settlement of the Americas has been a topic of intense debate for centuries, and there is still no consensus on the tempo and mode of early human dispersion across the continent. When trying to explain the biological diversity of early groups across North, Central and South America, studies have defended a wide range of dispersion models that tend to oversimplify the diversity observed across the continent. In this study, we aim to contribute to this debate by exploring the cranial morphological affinities of four late Pleistocene/early Holocene specimens recovered from the caves of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The four specimens are among the earliest human remains known in the continent and permit the contextualization of biological diversity present during the initial millennia of human presence in the Americas. The specimens were compared to worldwide reference series through geometric morphometric analyses of 3D anatomical landmarks. Morphological data were analyzed through exploratory visual multivariate analyses and multivariate classification based on Mahalanobis distances. The results show very different patterns of morphological association for each Quintana Roo specimen, suggesting that the early populations of the region already shared a high degree of morphological diversity. This contrasts with previous studies of South American remains and opens the possibility that the initial populations of North America already had a high level of morphological diversity, which was reduced as populations dispersed into the southern continent. As such, the study of these rare remains illustrates that we are probably still underestimating the biological diversity of early Americans.

Hubbe, Mark et al 2020: Morphological variation of the early human remains from Quintana Roo, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: Contributions to the discussions about the settlement of the Americas - PLOS ONE



A popularized article about the same human remains:

The oldest skull shared close similarities with modern native Americans in Greenland and Alaska, while the second-oldest skull was more similar to modern European populations. Another displayed close association with Asian and Native American groups and the final skull had a mix of features seen in Arctic populations and some modern South American populations.

“The first Americans were much more complex, much more diverse than we thought,” Mark Hubbe, co-lead author of the study and professor of anthropology at The Ohio State University, said in a statement.

Ancient Skulls In Underwater Cave Show Early Americans Were A Diverse Bunch



The four skulls from Quintana Roo