Oldest Caribbean genomes extend the genetic record of the region by over a millennium

A preprint posted to bioRxiv (13 May 2026) reports genome-wide data from 19 ancient individuals from Hispaniola's Samaná Peninsula, including four who lived during the Lithic Age — the earliest phase of human occupation of the Caribbean, beginning approximately 6,000 years ago. The oldest individuals in the dataset date to approximately 4,400 calibrated years before present, extending the Caribbean ancient genetic record by more than a millennium.

The study finds that pre-Ceramic Age populations across Hispaniola and Cuba derive from a single common ancestry source, documenting genetic continuity across the earliest island occupations. The genetic affinities of these individuals point to Central America and northern South America as the source region, consistent with archaeological models of Caribbean colonisation.

The work contributes to a rapidly developing field of Caribbean historical population genetics. It is of direct relevance to researchers in archaeogenomics, anthropology, and the prehistory of the Americas, and provides empirical genetic data to complement and test existing archaeological interpretations. For genealogists with Caribbean ancestry, the study contextualises the deep population history of the region before the Ceramic Age influx of Arawakan-speaking groups.

This is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.