Genetic ancestry and ethnic identity in Ecuador

Abstract

Summary We investigated the ancestral origins of four Ecuadorian ethnic groups—Afro-Ecuadorian, Mestizo, Montubio, and the Indigenous Tsáchila—in an effort to gain insight on the relationship between ancestry, culture, and the formation of ethnic identities in Latin America. The observed patterns of genetic ancestry are largely concordant with ethnic identities and historical records of conquest and colonization in Ecuador. Nevertheless, a number of exceptional findings highlight the complex relationship between genetic ancestry and ethnicity in Ecuador. Afro-Ecuadorians show far less African ancestry, and the highest levels of Native American ancestry, seen for any Afro-descendant population in the Americas. Mestizos in Ecuador show high levels of Native American ancestry, with substantially less European ancestry, despite the relatively low Indigenous population in the country. The recently recognized Montubio ethnic group is highly admixed, with substantial contributions from all three continental ancestries. The Tsáchila show two distinct ancestry subgroups, with most individuals showing almost exclusively Native American ancestry and a smaller group showing a Mestizo characteristic pattern. Considered together with historical data and sociological studies, our results indicate the extent to which ancestry and culture interact, often in unexpected ways, to shape ethnic identity in Ecuador.

Genetic Variations of the DPYD Gene and Its Relationship with Ancestry Proportions in Different Ecuadorian Trihybrid Populations

“…According to official data [ 69 ], 77.4% of the population call themselves Mestizo/a, 7.4% Montubio/a (mestizos belonging mainly to coastal regions), 7% Indigenous (that comprises 14 Indigenous nationalities scattered throughout the country), 6.1% white, 4.3% Afro-descendant, 1.9% Mulatto, 1% Black, and 0.4% other races. Despite this heterogeneity, the admixture proportions calculated from the 46 AIM-INDELs describe a trihybrid Ecuadorian population in which an ancestral NAM component predominates ( Figure 2 A), similar to that previously reported [ 70 , 71 , 72 ].…”

Single nucleotide variants in the CCL2, OAS1 and DPP9 genes and their association with the severity of COVID-19 in an Ecuadorian population

“…Multiple migration and admixture events, including Native American settlements and the movement of Western European and Sub-Saharan African individuals, have influenced on the complex pre- and post-Columbian demographic history of Ecuador. However, patterns of admixture varied widely across Ecuador, in part due to geographic region ( Santangelo et al., 2017 ; Nagar et al., 2021 ). For example, Mestizos (mixed individuals) are the most prevalent ethnic group in the Andean highlands (Sierra) of Ecuador, although Native American ancestry is estimated to make up about 65% of this Mestizo population, which is higher than any other mixed American group observed in South America, except for Peru ( Santangelo et al., 2017 ; Nagar et al., 2021 ).…”

Prospective ECUAging Observational study: cohort design and preliminary results

“…At this growth rate, Ecuador is heading towards the category of an aging society by the year 2065, as individuals aged 60 years and older will become the largest demographic group in the country [3,4]. Furthermore, the demographic diversity within Ecuador's population is noteworthy, with 71.9% identifying as mestizo, and approximately 7% identifying as motubia, Afro-Ecuadorian, or indigenous [5]. This rich ethnic tapestry underscores the importance of gaining a deeper insight into the factors influencing the aging process among older Ecuadorians.…”