Detection of a population replacement at the Classic-Postclassic transition in Mexico.

ABSTRACT: The Mexica Empire reached an outstanding social, economic and politic organization among Mesoamerican civilizations. Even though archaeology and history provide substantial information about their past, their biological origin and the demographic consequences of their settlement in the Central Valley of Mexico remain unsolved. Two main hypotheses compete to explain the Mexica origin: a social reorganization of the groups already present in the Central Valley after the fall of the Classic centres or a population replacement of the Mesoamerican groups by migrants from the north and the consequent setting up of the Mexica society. Here, we show that the main changes in the facial phenotype occur during the Classic-Postclassic transition, rather than in the rise of the Mexica. Furthermore, Mex

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Jose R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2197204 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature