Oral histories and now DNA of Picuris Pueblo link their ancestors to Chaco Canyon

A federally recognized Indigenous tribe in the U.S. for the first time has led research using DNA to show their ancestral history. The Picuris Pueblo of New Mexico has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe historically to the region of Chaco Canyon — one of the ancient centers of Pueblo culture and society. Now they’ve also used DNA to document those connections. The research published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows close links between the genomes of 13 current members of Picuris and ancient DNA recovered from 16 Picuris individuals who lived in or near Chaco Canyon.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!