By: Miguel Vilar
Delve into the captivating realm of the Caribbean’s ancient past as cutting-edge research unveils the history of this vibrant region.
Embark on an insightful journey into the genetic landscape of the Caribbean as we delve into three significant ancient DNA studies. These pioneering research endeavors offer a deeper understanding of the Caribbean genome, unraveling its complexities and illuminating the region’s diverse genetic heritage.
The Caribbean Is More Than a Tropical Paradise
The Caribbean region of the Americas is one that evokes thoughts of scuba diving vacations, steel drum music, and pina coladas. But it’s also a part of the world rich in human history and genetic diversity.
The Caribbean islands are among the last places in the Americas settled by people and, coincidentally, the first place upon which Columbus set foot when crossing the Atlantic in 1492.
Today, thanks to the technology of ancient DNA, we can reveal previously unknown migrations and discover intricate details from all of these prehistoric and historical events that once took place across these rich islands.
Ancient DNA Analysis in the Caribbean Has Increased Ten-fold
During the last three years, researchers published two landmark papers on Caribbean ancient DNA, making great strides in the field for that unique part of the world. Before these two papers came out, fewer than ten ancient Caribbean genomes had ever been extracted, sequenced, and decoded.
The accomplishments achieved with these papers began with the great success in deciphering the DNA codes of individuals that lived across several islands and time periods and in a very hot and humid part of the world.
Scientists Overcame The Difficulties of Preserving DNA in a Hot and Humid Climate
Both heat and humidity are commonplace across the Caribbean and are also among the worst inhibitors of DNA preservation. That said, the two teams were able to accomplish their work and successfully detect, extract, and sequence DNA from hundreds of people who once lived across the islands.
Their discoveries helped reshape our understanding of the Caribbean’s past.
Researchers Discover Three Settlement Patterns in Cuba and Puerto Rico
In 2020, a team of scientists led by Drs. Kathrin Nagele and Hannes Shroeder analyzed the genomes of ninety-three individuals, ranging in age from 3,200 to just over 400 years old. These individuals were primarily from the two large islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, as well as a handful of individuals from Haiti, the Bahamas, Guadalupe, and St. Lucia.
The large number of individuals, nearly increasing the number of Carribean genomes ten-fold, as well as the vast geographic and historical coverage, yielded conclusive evidence that the region was settled and resettled a few times over the course of millennia.
The team suggested that the earliest movements originated from both Central America and South America, the former of the two having left small ancestral traces in Western Cuba and Haiti.
However, it was a third, more recent pre-Columbian movement from South America that contributed the majority of the indigenous Caribbean ancestry, nearly replacing the populations that were there before.
Evidence of Primary South American Migration to Caribbean Strengthens Previous Research
In 2021, a second team of scientists, this one led by Drs. Daniel Fernandez, Kendra Sirak, and David Reich, analyzed the genomes of 174 individuals and reanalyzed the genomes published by the earlier group.
They concluded that there was no identifiable contribution from North America (or Central America) and that South America was the contributing source for two distinct migrations to the island region.
Both studies did agree that there was a near complete replacement of an original population with another from South America in the last 1,700 years and that millions of living Caribbean people can still trace some of their ancestry to this migratory wave.
Surprising Genetic Links to The Canary Islands Are Reinforced Through DNA Analysis
In 2023, a paper led by Dr. Victor Garcia-Olivares titled “Digging into the admixture strata of current-day Canary Islanders based on mitogenomes” looked at genomes from an archipelago across the Atlantic Ocean in these small Spanish-controlled Islands off the coast of North Africa.
The paper showed evidence of a connection between the Canary Islands and the faraway Caribbean.
For centuries, people from Puerto Rico and Cuba have claimed genealogical ties to the small Canary Islands, more so than to continental Spain, and now lineages, specifically a Y chromosome haplogroup T individual, showed proof of that connection.
Y-DNA lineages from the 2023 paper from historical-aged Canary Islanders match the lineages from several modern day Cubans.
Ancient DNA Shows Us an Unbiased View of Our Past
These papers are just a few examples of how ancient DNA is helping change our understanding of the Caribbean past and could ultimately lead to a rewriting of the region’s history.
Unlike what we learn in history class, DNA is not always written by the victors or the dominant colonial power of the time. DNA data allows researchers to see parts of the past that would otherwise remain lost and hidden forever.
Discover Ancient DNA Connections on Your Paternal Line
You can also unlock the door to your ancestral heritage and embark on a journey of discovery as ancient DNA provides a captivating glimpse into the hidden genealogical connections waiting to be revealed with FamilyTreeDNA’s Discover™ tool.
Explore the rich tapestry of your past and trace your roots to the captivating Caribbean and beyond.
About The Author
Miguel Vilar, PhD.
Professor, Author, and Consultant for FamilyTreeDNA
Dr. Miguel Vilar was a Senior Program Officer for the National Geographic Society (NGS) and Lead Scientist for NGS’ Genographic Project, a multi-year anthropology study that aims to map human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. By training, Vilar is a molecular anthropologist and science writer.
In addition, Vilar is a professor of Biology and Anthropology and publishes in both anthropology and genetics academic journals, as well as in popular print and online magazines. Vilar is also a public speaker, writer, and consultant with FamilyTreeDNA.