Oral histories and now DNA of Picuris Pueblo link their ancestors to Chaco Canyon

For the first time, a tribe in the U.S. has led research using DNA to show their ancestral connection to Chaco Canyon, one of the ancient centers of Pueblo culture and society. The Picuris Pueblo of New Mexico has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe historically to the region of Chaco Canyon. Now they’ve also used DNA to document those connections. The research published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows close links between the genomes of 13 current members of Picuris and ancient DNA recovered from 16 Picuris individuals who lived in or near Chaco Canyon.

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