Biology

Ancient genomes reveal insights into ritual life at Chichén Itzá

R. Barquera, O. D. Castillo-chávez, et al.

Delve into the intriguing genetic legacy of the ancient Mayans with this study on 64 subadult individuals discovered in a mass burial near the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá. This research highlights the role of monozygotic twins in Mayan culture, revealing striking genetic continuity with modern populations amidst adaptation to diseases brought by colonization. Conducted by a renowned team of authors including Rodrigo Barquera and Oana Del Castillo-Chávez.

00:00

Playback language: English

Index

Abstract

This study presents genome-wide data from 64 male subadult individuals found in a subterranean mass burial near the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá. Genetic analysis revealed several closely related individuals, including two pairs of monozygotic twins, highlighting the significance of twins in Mayan mythology. Comparisons with modern populations showed genetic continuity, except for immune-related loci, suggesting adaptation to post-colonial infectious diseases.

Publisher

Nature

Published On

Jun 27, 2024

Authors

Rodrigo Barquera, Oana Del Castillo-Chávez, Kathrin Nägele, Patxi Pérez-Ramallo, Diana Iraíz Hernández-Zaragoza, András Szolek, Adam Benjamin Rohrlach, Pablo Librado, Ainash Childebayeva, Raffaela Angelina Bianco, Bridget S. Penman, Victor Acuña-Alonzo, Mary Lucas, Julio César Lara-Riegos, María Ermila Moo-Mezeta, Julio César Torres-Romero, Patrick Roberts, Oliver Kohlbacher, Christina Warinner, Johannes Krause

Related Publications

Explore these studies to deepen your understanding of the subject.

Humanities

Ancient Rapanui genomes reveal resilience and pre-European contact with the Americas

J. V. Moreno-mayar, B. S. D. Mota, et al.

Biology

Ancient genomes reveal over two thousand years of dingo population structure

Y. Souilmi, S. Wasef, et al.

Psychology

Reported sleep duration reveals segmentation of the adult life-course into three phases

A. Coutrot, A. S. Lazar, et al.

Earth Sciences

22 years of satellite imagery reveal a major destabilization structure at Piton de la Fournaise

Q. Dumont, V. Cayol, et al.

Listen, Learn & Level Up

Over 10,000 hours of research content in 25+ fields, available in 12+ languages.

No more digging through PDFs, just hit play and absorb the world's latest research in your language, on your time.

listen to research audio papers with researchbunny