Tracing the genetic history of the 'Canaris' from Ecuador and Peru using uniparental DNA markers

BackgroundAccording to history, in the pre-Hispanic period, during the conquest and Inka expansion in Ecuador, many Andean families of the Canar region would have been displaced to several places of Tawantinsuyu, including Kanaris, a Quechua-speaking community located at the highlands of the Province of Ferrenafe, Lambayeque (Peru). Other families were probably taken from the Central Andes to a place close to Kanaris, named Inkawasi. Evidence of this migration comes from the presence near the Kanaris-Inkawasi communities of a village, a former Inka camp, which persists until the present day. This scenario could explain these toponyms, but it is still controversial. To clarify this historical question, the study presented here focused on the inference of the genetic relationship between 'Canaris' populations, particularly of Canar and Ferrenafe, compared to other highland populations. We analysed native patrilineal Y chromosome haplotypes composed of 15 short tandem repeats, a set of SNPs, and maternal mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of control region sequences.ResultsAfter the genetic comparisons of local populations-three from Ecuador and seven from Peru-, Y chromosome analyses (n=376) indicated that individuals from the Canar region do not share Y haplotypes with the Kanaris, or even with those of the Inkawasi. However, some Y haplotypes of Ecuadorian 'Canaris' were associated with haplotypes of the Peruvian populations of Cajamarca, Chivay (Arequipa), Cusco and Lake Titicaca, an observation that is congruent with colonial records. Within the Kanaris and Inkawasi communities there are at least five clans in which several individuals share haplotypes, indicating that they have recent common ancestors. Despite their relative isolation, most individuals of both communities are related to those of the Cajamarca and Chachapoyas in Peru, consistent with the spoken Quechua and their geographic proximity. With respect to mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (n=379), with the exception of a shared haplotype of the D1 lineage between the Canar and Kanaris, there are no genetic affinities.ConclusionAlthough there is no close genetic relationship between the Peruvian Kanaris (including Inkawasi) and Ecuadorian Canar populations, our results showed some congruence with historical records.