A human skeleton from Última Esperanza, South-West Patagonia, Chile: Osteobiography, morphometric, and genetic analysis

Abstract

Despite over 130 years of systematic investigation, only a few ancient human skeletons have been recovered in southern Patagonia. These remains, dating to the Middle and Late Holocene, are typically found as isolated individuals or in small burial groups. In this paper, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skeleton belonging to an elderly female discovered in the late 19th century in Mylodon Cave, Última Esperanza, southern Chile. The skeleton has been dated to the Historic period/late Holocene. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment, including a discussion of her geographic provenance, radiocarbon dating, and biological profile—encompassing sex, age, stature, and paleopathology—alongside morphometric and genetic analyses aimed at evaluating her biological affinities with other South American populations. The osteobiographical analysis revealed that she was relatively healthy for her age and had an average stature for individuals from Patagonia (166–167 cm). Genetic analysis confirmed a Southern Cone ancestry closely related to ancient DNA from Selk’nam, Aonikenk and Haush individuals. Morphometric analysis demonstrated strong biological affinities with individuals from the Chubut Valley, with secondary connections to populations from Tierra del Fuego. With this study we encourage further meticulous and ethical examination and multidisciplinary contextualization of museum collections to advance our understanding of the human past.