Pre-Columbian Population Dynamics and Cultural Development in South Coast Perú as Revealed by Analysis of Ancient DNA

Abstract

In this paper I report on a study whose principal aim is to understand the development and decline of the southern Peruvian Nasca culture in the upper Río Grande de Nasca drainage, and its cultural and biological affinities to the preceding Paracas culture. Ancient DNA analyses were conducted on over 300 pre-Columbian individuals from various cemeteries in southern Perú, from periods ranging from the Formative Period to the Middle Horizon. Our results show that the Nasca populations are close related to those of the preceding Paracas culture, and combined with archaeological data, suggest that the Nasca culture was autochthonous to the Río Grande drainage. Furthermore, one can observe how changes in socioeconomic complexity influence the genetic diversity. The pre-Columbian coastal populations of southern Perú differ significantly from both ancient highland and all present-day Peruvian populations. The genetic differentiation between the main cultural areas of western South America seems to fade with the Middle Horizon.