Peruvian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Peru · Americas
Peru was the heart of the Inca empire, and after the Spanish conquest Lima, founded in 1535, became the capital of a viceroyalty that governed most of Spanish South America. Today Peru's population combines Andean, Amazonian, European, African and Asian roots. This page uses a Peruvian Mestizo average, and in our model it has the largest Indigenous share of our Mestizo pages: 65.0% Native American, against 46.3% for the Ecuadorian and 44.8% for the Mexican averages. The European side is described by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (21.4%), steppe herders (9.4%) and Western hunter-gatherers (2.7%), with a small North African hunter-gatherer share (1.6%) and no West African component above 1%. The model fits closely (0.0201), yet no other average in our panel is near: the closest, an Ecuadorian Indo-Mestizo sample, is at 0.0834, with Guatemalan and Mexican Indo-Mestizo samples also among the nearest, probably because the Andean ancestry in this average carries a long local history that other admixed populations lack.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Native American (Paleo-American) 65.0%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 21.4%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 9.4%
- Closest modern population in our data: Ecuadorian Indo-Mestizo, distance 0.0834
- Model fit: 0.0201, a close fit (global model)
Peruvian is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Peruvian individuals sampled in Peru, listed in the G25 sheet as "Peruvian_Mestizo". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Peruvian average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Peruvian average comes out as 65.0% Native American (Paleo-American), 21.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 9.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The Native American (Paleo-American) component reflects the ancestry of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (21.4%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Western hunter-gatherers and North African hunter-gatherers (Iberomaurusian) (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.020), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Raíces – Latin American Bloodline
Closest modern populations to Peruvian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Ecuadorian Indo-Mestizo first for Peruvian, at 0.083, then Cree and Guatemalan (Indo-Ladino). No modern population in the data is very close (the nearest is 0.083 away), which points to a distinctive genetic profile, often the mark of long isolation or of a mix that is rare elsewhere.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecuadorian Indo-Mestizo | 0.0834 | Distant |
| 2 | Cree | 0.0853 | Distant |
| 3 | Guatemalan (Indo-Ladino) | 0.0967 | Distant |
| 4 | Mexican Indo-Mestizo | 0.1013 | Distant |
| 5 | Paraguayan Mestizo | 0.1053 | Distant |
| 6 | Panamanian Indo-Mestizo | 0.1221 | Distant |
| 7 | Belizean Mestizo | 0.1226 | Distant |
| 8 | Peruvian Indo-Mestizo | 0.1227 | Distant |
| 9 | Ecuadorian | 0.1269 | Distant |
| 10 | Mexican | 0.1273 | Distant |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Peruvian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Peruvian average is Canada Lucier 4845BP (c. 2900 BC), at 0.181, followed by Canada Big Bar Lake 5700BP and USA Washington Paleo-Indian Kennewick. Even the best ancient match is distant, so the modern population is better described as a blend of several ancestral sources than as the continuation of one. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada Lucier 4845BP | c. 2900 BC | 0.1809 |
| 2 | Canada Big Bar Lake 5700BP | c. 3750 BC | 0.1826 |
| 3 | USA Washington Paleo-Indian Kennewick | Paleo-Indian period | 0.1835 |
| 4 | Canada Lucier 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.1882 |
| 5 | Canada Teston Road 500BP Wendat | c. 1450 AD | 0.1908 |
| 6 | Canada Atholville 400BP Mi'kmaq | c. 1550 AD | 0.1956 |
| 7 | Canada 6000BP | c. 4050 BC | 0.1989 |
| 8 | USA Alaska Trail Creek 9000BP | c. 7050 BC | 0.1999 |
| 9 | USA Montana Anzick Clovis | Clovis culture, c. 10,700 BC | 0.2013 |
| 10 | Brazil Sumidouro 10100BP | c. 8150 BC | 0.2020 |
Ancient DNA from Peru
Our ancient DNA database holds 561 individuals excavated in present-day Peru, dated from about 7,055 BC to 1566 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are Q1b (70), Q1a (3) and F (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are B2 (134), C1 (119) and D1 (91). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Peruvian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Q1b | 70 | I0038 I0238 SMP5 |
| Q1a | 3 | skeleton_9 skeleton_2 skeleton_6 |
| F | 1 | I2543 |
| P1 | 1 | I1396 |
Ancient DNA studies on Peru
- Ancient DNA reveals a family ossuary and long-distance migration on the Pacific coast before the Inca Empire (2026)
- Rapid adaptive increase of amylase gene copy number in Indigenous Andeans (2026)
- Unraveling the genetic landscape and admixture dynamics of urban populations across Peru (2026)
- Human population history on the North Coast of peru from Y chromosomes and mitogenomes (2025)
- The peruvian genome project: expanding the global pool of genome diversity from South America (2025)
- Family relations of Moche elite burials on the North Coast of Peru (~500 CE): Analyses of the Señora de Cao and relatives (2024)
- The multifaceted genomic history of Ashaninka from Amazonian Peru (2023)
- Insights into the genetic histories and lifeways of Machu Picchu's occupants (2023)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 561 from Peru.
Compare yourself with Peruvian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Peruvian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Peruvian and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Peruvian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Peruvian. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Peruvian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Raíces – Latin American Bloodline (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built only for Latinos: pick your country and we model your DNA against its indigenous peoples plus every Old-World source of Latin American history, on an interactive map.
More populations from Americas
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Peruvian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Peruvian average is about 65.0% Native American (Paleo-American), 21.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 9.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Peruvian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Peruvian average are Ecuadorian Indo-Mestizo, Cree and Guatemalan (Indo-Ladino). The closest ancient matches are Canada Lucier 4845BP, Canada Big Bar Lake 5700BP and USA Washington Paleo-Indian Kennewick.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Peruvian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Peruvian average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Peruvian ancestry?
Raíces – Latin American Bloodline is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Peruvian average closely. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.