Indigenous Peoples

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Apitatán at STRAAT Museum. 12 May 2023.

In our locality schools are closed today recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day. In our tree, there are traces of connection to native people in the Americas, and we've seen from the recent update to Ancestry's Origins there are definite signs of indigenous people from Canada to the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile.

Source: Ancestry. Origins. Oct 2025.

Origins looks at your DNA compared to reference panels with deep, documented roots in specific geographic regions. Even looking back 300 years to 1725, that time frame roughly connects to the 7th-great-grandparent level. Doing the math without factoring in pedigree collapse or loops in the tree, at the 7xgreat level, that's 512 people. While I do have some 7xgreats in my tree, on the maternal side I only know one. Going back another level to the 8xgreat-grandparents, that's 1024 people (again assuming no loops or pedigree collapse).

The percentages for Indigenous Americas Bolivia and Peru are definitely connected to a branch from my 3rd-great-grandfather Gabriel Vasquez, who was born in Valparaiso, Chile in 1838. Somewhere three or four generations back from Gabriel is an indigenous woman from the Andes region. On another mystery branch of the tree is likely a woman from the Yucatan, perhaps near the port of Campeche or Merida. Her distant family was perhaps Yucatec Maya. I feel a real connection to this region from past travels.

Another branch likely shows an enslaved woman or family tracing roots back to the Nigerian woodlands. She and this family perhaps were brought to Mexico in the 16th or 17th century.

Our largest area for indigenous ancestors is in Mexico and my Mom and her sisters all have 12% Indigenous Americas - Mexico in their origins. Our links from Sonora to Arizona and Southern California are quite strong.

Source: Ancestry. Journeys. Oct 2025.

Even looking at the Ancient Origins feature in MyHeritage shows a link to indigenous people in North & South America and in Central Africa.

MyHeritage. Ancient Origins.

The painting at the top of the post is by Ecuadorean artist Apitatán and is on display at the STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam.