The Canary Islands’ indigenous people have been the subject of substantial archaeological, anthropological, linguistic and genetic research pointing to a most probable North African Berber source. However, neither agreement about the exact point of origin nor a model for the indigenous colonization of the islands has been established. To shed light on these questions, we analyzed 48 ancient mitogenomes from 25 archaeological sites from the seven main islands. Most lineages observed in the ancient samples have a Mediterranean distribution, and belong to lineages associated with the Neolithic expansion in the Near East and Europe (T2c, J2a, X3a…). This phylogeographic analysis of Canarian ancient mitogenomes, the first of its kind, shows that some lineages are restricted to Central North Africa (H1cf, J2a2d and T2c1d3), while others have a wider distribution, including both West and Central North Africa, and, in some cases, Europe and the Near East (U6a1a1, U6a7a1, U6b, X3a, U6c1). In addition, we identify four new Canarian-specific lineages (H1e1a9, H4a1e, J2a2d1a and L3b1a12) whose coalescence dates correlate with the estimated time for the colonization of the islands (1st millennia CE). Additionally, we observe an asymmetrical distribution of mtDNA haplogroups in the ancient population, with certain haplogroups appearing more frequently in the islands closer to the continent. This reinforces results based on modern mtDNA and Y-chromosome data, and archaeological evidence suggesting the existence of two distinct migrations. Comparisons between insular populations show that some populations had high genetic diversity, while others were probably affected by genetic drift and/or bottlenecks. In spite of observing interinsular differences in the survival of indigenous lineages, modern populations, with the sole exception of La Gomera, are homogenous across the islands, supporting the theory of extensive human mobility after the European conquest.

No abstract

The island of Gran Canaria was inhabited in pre-Hispanic times by people of North African origin who arrived on the island towards the second half of the first millennium BC. In previous studies, we reported that there are some differences between the coastal inhabitants from Gran Canaria, mainly buried in tumuli, and those from the central mountains, mainly buried in caves. For example, the prevalence of auricular exostoses is higher among the population interred in coastal tumuli when compared with the inland population. This finding may be explained by the practice of marine activities, as supported by chroniclers' reports, by archaeological data, and by bone trace-element analysis, which point to a more intense consumption of marine products by the inhabitants of the coastal regions. Dental caries epidemiology is one of the most important ways in which the diet of past populations can be reconstructed. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence and intensity of caries among the pre-Hispanic population of Gran Canaria, in order to increase our knowledge about the dietary habits of these people, and to search for differences among the population buried in caves and that buried in tumuli. We studied a total of 791 individuals. Sex was estimated in 561 cases, and age at death, following Brothwell's criteria, in 549. We found that 66.95% of individuals buried in caves and 58.91% of those buried in tumuli showed at least one carious lesion. The proportion of carious teeth was significantly higher among the population buried in caves (median = 15.71%, interquartile range (IR) = 0-33.33%) than among the population buried in tumuli (median = 6.25%, IR = 0-20%, P = 0.001). Type of burial is the main factor associated with the proportion of carious teeth.These data suggest that the population buried in caves had a different dietary pattern from that of those buried in tumuli.

Resumen: Ordenar los procesos históricos en las culturas arqueológicas es una labor de gran complejidad cuando carecemos de las fechas en que se enmarcan tales procesos. Esa circunstancia ha representado un hándicap secular que dificulta el conocimiento de los primeros habitantes de Gran Canaria, acentuado por la escasez de referencias cronológicas que permitan comprender la ocupación de un territorio definido por su condición insular. Ello ha provocado la idea de una 'cultura plana' en la que se concitan numerosas expresiones del devenir de estas poblaciones, donde parece que todo existe y permanece, al menos en lo que a sus componentes esenciales se refiere. Con el propósito de superar esta limitación, en este trabajo se aborda el aspecto diacrónico de la práctica funeraria de los antiguos canarios, intentando a la vez su explicación en el marco de los procesos históricos que definen sus vidas. Se evalúan 104 dataciones provenientes de 25 enclaves funerarios repartidos por toda la isla, a partir de la elaboración de un modelo de estadística bayesiana. Los resultados revelan una evidente ordenación del fenómeno funerario, con intervalos de profundas transformaciones en un escenario social cambiante, relacionado con el proceso de ocupación de la isla y la evolución del modelo socioeconómico de este grupo humano. Asimismo, en el debate sobre las fechas de la primera arribada colonizadora, se establece el s. iii d. C. como punto de partida de la ocupación efectiva de la isla. Palabras clave: periodo prehispánico; Gran Canaria; cronología; fechas radiocarbónicas; estadística bayesiana.

The aboriginal population of Gran Canaria show a high frequency of traumatic injuries to the skull compared to other archaeological groups. Their frequent location in the anterior aspect suggests regular face-to-face confrontations. However, the lethal injuries typically occurring in large-scale combat are scarce. Practices such as ritualized combat, mentioned in ethnohistorical sources, would help to channel and mitigate inter-group conflict. The predominance of depressed blunt force trauma is in accordance with the weapons used by those populations: hand-thrown stones, clubs and sticks. The higher frequency in males indicates that they took part in direct violence more than females did. The hierarchical organization of their society may have led to frequent situations of conflict. The insular nature of a territory barely 1,500 m in size was a determining factor in competition for access to food resources, especially at times of climate crises or population growth.