The Genomic and Cultural Diversity of the Inka Qhapaq Hucha Ceremony in Chile and Argentina.

ABSTRACT: The South American archaeological record has ample evidence of the socio-cultural dynamism of human populations in the past. This has also been supported through the analysis of ancient genomes, by showing evidence of gene flow across the region. While the extent of these signals is yet to be tested, the growing number of ancient genomes allows for more fine-scaled hypotheses to be evaluated. In this study, we assessed the genetic diversity of individuals associated with the Inka ritual, Qhapaq hucha. As part of this ceremony, one or more individuals were buried with Inka and local-style offerings on mountain summits along the Andes, leaving a very distinctive record. Using paleogenomic tools, we analyzed three individuals: two newly generated genomes from El Plomo Mountain (Chile) and El

SUBMITTER: de la Fuente Castro C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11411372 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature