The largest survey of Mexican genetics performed so far reveals tremendous diversity in the country. In some cases, the people studied are as genetically distinct from each other as are people from different continents.
The study also reveals that there are close biological connections between Mexico’s two traditional cultural groups: indigenous Native Americans and “mestizos” — people with mixed Native American and European ancestry.
The study examined 1 million genetic variants from across Mexico, obtained from people belonging to 20 indigenous groups as well as 11 mestizo populations. The team found that the indigenous populations are surprisingly diverse. Two groups from the far north and south of the country, for instance — the Seri and Lacandon, respectively — are more genetically different from each other according to one measurement of genetic divergence than are Europeans and Chinese people.
Read the full, original story: Sweeping diversity seen in Mexican genomes
