Indigenous Mexicans migrated to California 5,200 years ago, likely bringing their languages with them, ancient DNA revea

By Tom Metcalfe published 1 day ago

The research challenges the idea that languages from prehistoric Mexico spread along with maize farming in California.



Ears of "Indian" corn
It was long thought that the Uto-Aztecan languages were brought to what is now the U.S. by Indigenous Mexican maize farmers. But now, new genetics research suggests that these languages arrived far earlier. (Image credit: Ross Shatto / Alamy Stock Photo)


Hunter-gatherers from Mexico migrated into California more than 5,000 years ago, potentially spreading distinctive languages from the south into the region nearly 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, a new genetic study details.

The finding challenges the idea that what are known as the Uto-Aztecan languages — which include the Aztec and Toltec language Nahuatl, as well as Hopi and Shoshoni — were spread northward by prehistoric migrants from Mexico along with maize farming technologies.

"The dating and the location of this genetic material coming into California is really important for understanding the Uto-Aztecan migration," study lead author Nathan Nakatsuka, a population geneticist and a postdoctoral fellow at the New York Genome Center, told Live Science.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/indigenous-mexicans-migrated-to-california-5200-years-ago-likely-bringing-their-languages-with-them-ancient-dna-reveals