OBJECTIVES:
The study of the ancient
populations of Central
Argentina has a crucial importance for our
understanding of the evolutionary processes in the Southern Cone of
South America, given its geographic position as a crossroads. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the temporal and geographical patterns of
genetic variation among the groups that inhabited the current territory of Córdoba Province during the Middle and Late Holocene.
METHODS:
We analyzed the mitochondrial haplogroups of 74 individuals and 46 Hypervariable Region I (HVR-I) sequences, both novel and previously reported, from archeological
populations of the eastern Plains and western Sierras regions of the province of Córdoba. The HVR-I sequences were also compared with other ancient groups from
Argentina and with present-day
populations from Central
Argentina by pairwise distance
analysis and identification of
shared haplotypes.
RESULTS:
Significant differences in haplogroup and
haplotype distributions between the two geographical regions were found. Sierras showed genetic affinities with certain ancient
populations of Northwestern
Argentina, while Plains resembled its neighbors from Santiago del Estero Province and the Pampas region. We did not observe genetic differences among the pre 1200 and post 1200 yBP temporal subsets of individuals defined by the emergence of
horticulture, considering both geographical samples jointly.
CONCLUSIONS:
The observed patterns of geographical heterogeneity could indicate the existence of biologically distinct
populations inhabiting the mountainous region and the eastern plains of Córdoba Province in pre-
Hispanic times. Maternal lineages analyses support a scenario of local evolution with great temporal depth in Central
Argentina, with continuity until the present.