Ancient Ecuadorian genomes reveal 1,500 years of genetic continuity along Pacific coast

Ancient genomes from coastal Ecuador have revealed 1,500 years of genetic continuity along the Pacific coast, according to a study published in PNAS Nexus. Researchers sequenced four genomes from individuals excavated at Salango on Ecuador's central coast, dating back to around 2,300 years ago, 1,900 years ago, and 740 years ago.

These genomes cluster with ancient and present-day populations from Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru, indicating a shared ancestry within a northwestern South American genetic continuum. Despite major cultural and environmental changes, including the aftermath of the Pululahua volcanic eruption and the rise of chiefdoms, the Salango population likely remained genetically stable.

The study also provides rare genetic evidence of tuberculosis in the precontact Americas, with one individual, an infant, showing skeletal lesions consistent with tuberculosis and a reconstructed Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genome. This research opens new opportunities to trace both population history and infectious disease along South America's Pacific coast.

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