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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup Q-M848 (Andean Branch)

Q-M848 Andean lineage (Quechua–Aymara highland expansion)

Macro-haplogroup
Q
Parent clade
Q-M848
Formed (estimate)
c. 13,000–14,000 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 6,000–9,000 years ago

Overview

The Andean branch of Q-M848 underlies one of the most significant paternal expansions in the pre-Columbian Andes. It corresponds closely with high-altitude cultural developments, including the early Andean Archaic period, the rise of sedentary agricultural societies in the highlands, and later complex civilizations such as Tiwanaku and the broader pre-Inca polities. Genetic continuity shows deep, region-specific stability throughout the central Andean cordillera.

Geographic distribution

Most common among Quechua and Aymara populations of Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile. Also appears in Andean-admixed groups of Ecuador and northwestern Argentina. Frequencies in some local communities exceed 70 percent, reflecting strong founder effects in high-altitude valleys.

Ancient DNA

  • Early and mid-Holocene Andean genomes show clear continuity with M848-derived lineages.
  • Ancient individuals from the central highlands (~4,000–7,000 BP) reveal distinctive Andean clustering parallel to modern M848 distributions.
  • The branch’s emergence aligns with environmental adaptation to high altitude and the early domestication of Andean crops.

Phylogeny & subclades

The Andean cluster represents one of the major geographic sub-radiations of M848, featuring multiple internal short branches associated with valley-specific founder events.

  • Valley-specific Andean branches

Notes & context

This lineage is essential for reconstructing the demographic history of pre-Inca Andean civilizations and the long-term genetic structure of the Andean plateau.