Ancient DNA from Belize
24 ancient people from Belize have had their genome published, from 9,750 BC to 1,910 BC. Here they are on a map and period by period, with their archaeological cultures and haplogroups.
Main archaeological groups: Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya (6), Belize 5600BP Archaic Maya (3), Belize Archaic 4400BP Maya (3), Belize 7400BP Archaic Maya (2), Belize 9400BP Archaic Maya (2).
Most frequent Y-DNA lines: Q1b (10), A1b (1), F (1), I2a (1).
Most frequent mtDNA lines: C1c (4), D4h (4), C5b (3), A2 (2), A2a (2), D1 (2).
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Period by period
10,000 to 5,000 BC (7 individuals)
| Date | Group | Site | Y-DNA | mtDNA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,750 BC | Belize 11700BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | ||
| 7,584 BC | Belize 9400BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | C1b |
| 7,351 BC | Belize 9400BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | D4h3a | |
| 6,825 BC | Belize 8800BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | D4h3a5 | |
| 6,785 BC | Belize 9000BP Archaic Maya possible | Mayahak Cab Pek | F | D4h3a5 |
| 5,426 BC | Belize 7400BP Archaic Maya | Saki Tzul | Q1b1a1a | D1 |
| 5,418 BC | Belize 7400BP Archaic Maya | Saki Tzul | I2a1a1a1a1b1b~ | D1 |
5,000 to 3,000 BC (5 individuals)
| Date | Group | Site | Y-DNA | mtDNA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,680 BC | Belize 5600BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | ||
| 3,657 BC | Belize 5600BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | C | |
| 3,533 BC | Belize 5600BP Archaic Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | C1c | |
| 3,088 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | A2q |
| 3,048 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | A2af1b |
3,000 to 1,000 BC (12 individuals)
| Date | Group | Site | Y-DNA | mtDNA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,993 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Saki Tzul | C1c | |
| 2,941 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | A1b1b2b | R |
| 2,918 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Saki Tzul | Q1b1 | C1c |
| 2,807 BC | Belize Archaic 5300BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | C5b | |
| 2,785 BC | Belize Archaic 5000BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | ||
| 2,723 BC | Belize Archaic 4600BP Maya | Saki Tzul | Q1b1a1a | D4h3a |
| 2,573 BC | Belize Archaic 4600BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | A2+(64)+@16111 |
| 2,532 BC | Belize Archaic 4400BP Maya | Saki Tzul | C5b | |
| 2,522 BC | Belize Archaic 4400BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | C5b |
| 2,430 BC | Belize Archaic 4400BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | A2ap | |
| 2,129 BC | Belize Archaic 4000BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | A2+(64)+@16111 |
| 1,910 BC | Belize Archaic 4000BP Maya | Mayahak Cab Pek | Q1b1a1a | C1c4 |
Excavation sites
- Mayahak Cab Pek 18, 9,750 BC to 1,910 BC
- Saki Tzul 6, 5,426 BC to 2,532 BC
Source: Allen Ancient DNA Resource v66 (Mallick et al. 2024), individuals with a date and coordinates; samples the AADR flags as misdated are left out. Group names are those of the original studies. Haplogroups are shown when they could be read from the ancient DNA.