Mexican Diaspora - Population Genetics

Population Genetics

As suggested by history and consistent with Mexican's self-image, genetic studies have found the Mexican population to be of mainly Amerindian and European ancestry. Most researches have also found a small African contribution.

Most studies have shown a European contribution of somewhere between 40-60% and an Amerindian contribution of 40-60%, and an African contribution of 1-5%. Basing an average from admixture levels found in many studies, the European contribution is ~50% and the Amerindian contribution is ~50% in a dual (European-Amerindian) model. A tri-racial (European-Amerindian-African) model yields an African contribution of ~2.5%, with average European and Amerindian contributions a small amount lower than 50% each.

According to a paper presented by the American Society of Human Genetics Mexicans were found to be 58.96% European, 36.05% Asian (Amerindian), and 5.03% African. Sonora shows the highest European contribution (70.63%) and Guerrero the lowest (51.98%). In Guerrero one also observes the highest Asian (Amerindian) contribution (37.17%). African contribution ranges from 2.8% in Sonora to 11.13% in Veracruz.

Another study, one focusing on the general population in five Latin American nations — Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, — estimated that about half (50.1%) of Mexican ancestry was of Amerindian origin; 44.3%, European; and 5.6%, African. Compared to the other Latin American countries, Mexico was found to have the smallest amount of African admixture. Mexico has the second largest amount of Amerindian ancestry, topped by Ecuador.

A paper specifically focusing on Mexican mestizos, has found them to be mostly Amerindian (55.2%) but also having a large amount of European admixture (41.8%). African ancestry was found to be 1.8% and East Asian ancestry, 1.2%. The samples were drawn from six Mexican cities: Sonora and Zacatecas (ZAC) in the north, Guanajuato in the center, Guerrero in the center–Pacific, Veracruz in the center–Gulf, and Yucatán in the southeast. As to regional differences, it was found that Guerrero had the largest degree of both Amerindian and African admixture (66% and 4.1% respectively), and Sonora, the largest degree of European ancestry (61.6%).

Still another study showed genetic diversity in Latin American mestizos, with an average of more than half of Mexican mestizos' genetics coming from European ancestry followed by a large Amerindian component, with a very small African contribution.