Current Biology
Volume 30, Issue 11, 8 June 2020, Pages 2078-2091.e11
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Article
Origin and Health Status of First-Generation Africans from Early Colonial Mexico

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.002Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Genomic and isotopes data suggest an African origin for the three individuals

  • One ∼14X Treponema pallidum sub. pertenue genome was recovered

  • One ∼1,500X hepatitis B virus genome was recovered

  • Both pathogen genomes cluster together with present day pathogens from Africa

Summary

The forced relocation of several thousand Africans during Mexico’s historic period has so far been documented mostly through archival sources, which provide only sparse detail on their origins and lived experience. Here, we employ a bioarchaeological approach to explore the life history of three 16th century Africans from a mass burial at the San José de los Naturales Royal Hospital in Mexico City. Our approach draws together ancient genomic data, osteological analysis, strontium isotope data from tooth enamel, δ13C and δ15N isotope data from dentine, and ethnohistorical information to reveal unprecedented detail on their origins and health. Analyses of skeletal features, radiogenic isotopes, and genetic data from uniparental, genome-wide, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) markers are consistent with a Sub-Saharan African origin for all three individuals. Complete genomes of Treponema pallidum sub. pertenue (causative agent of yaws) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) recovered from these individuals provide insight into their health as related to infectious disease. Phylogenetic analysis of both pathogens reveals their close relationship to strains circulating in current West African populations, lending support to their origins in this region. The further relationship between the treponemal genome retrieved and a treponemal genome previously typed in an individual from Colonial Mexico highlights the role of the transatlantic slave trade in the introduction and dissemination of pathogens into the New World. Putting together all lines of evidence, we were able to create a biological portrait of three individuals whose life stories have long been silenced by disreputable historical events.

Keywords

transatlantic slave trade
New Spain
African ancestry
ancient DNA
Treponema pallidum
hepatitis B virus

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13

These authors contributed equally

14

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