DNA links modern pueblo dwellers to Chaco Canyon people
The study provides DNA evidence linking modern Picuris Pueblo residents as closest relatives to the ancient Chaco culture, validating their historical narratives.
A tiny tribe wanted to shape the future of a famed canyon. Ancient DNA helped.
"We've always known who we are. Our elders [have] always known we've been here. Come to find out, everything we felt and knew [is] just validated on their terms."
Picuris Pueblo oral history and genomics reveal continuity in US Southwest - Nature
Chaco Canyon was the centre of an extensive political and social network of more than 200 Great House communities covering an area larger than modern England.