The San Juan Basin Archaeological Society invites the public to a presentation in the Lyceum at the Center of Southwest Studies and on Zoom. At 6:30 we will have social time in the CSWS foyer. Then after a brief business meeting, Dr. Jakob Sedig, a Senior Archaeologist with Chronicle Heritage, will present “New Data, Old Questions: Ancient DNA and the Archaeology of Northwest Mexico and the US Southwest. For log-in information, go to SJBAS.ORG

Recent ancient DNA research in northern Mexico and the southwest US has generated data from hundreds of individuals with broad geographic and chronological depth. These data are providing key new insights to long standing archaeological questions and are helping us understand how the region’s ancient inhabitants interacted with one another. For example, ancient DNA data have revealed that ancestry associated with northern Mexico populations spread into California prior to the spread of maize agriculture. Ancient DNA data have also shown that individuals of the Trincheras culture in Sonora have ancestry that differed from that of their neighbors in Chihuahua. Ancient DNA research is also illuminating individual life-histories, such as that of a child buried at Paquimé who had parents that were more closely related than first cousins. In this presentation, I review these and other studies and discuss new insights from the growing ancient DNA database is changing our understanding of the ancient Mexico Northwest/US Southwest.

BIO: Jakob Sedig received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Colorado. His research focused on the archaeology of the US Southwest, particularly the Mimbres region of Southwest New Mexico and the social demographic, and environmental transformations that occurred during the Transitional phase (CE 900-1000). After completing his doctorate, Jakob was awarded a position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Ethics and Outreach Officer at the Reich Laboratory of Medical and Population Genetics, Harvard University. During his time in the Reich Laboratory, Jakob worked to more fully integrate ancient DNA with archaeological studies. This partly involved using ancient DNA to examine long-standing archaeological questions and exploring novel applications for ancient DNA data, such as using ancient DNA to help refine radiocarbon dating. Jakob’s work has also focused on the ethical issues of paleogenomic research, particularly those involving sampling methods and engagement with Indigenous communities. Jakob currently is a Senior Archaeologist with Chronicle Heritage, serving as a Principal Investigator for the Phoenix and Albuquerque offices.