Pre-meeting workshop and round-table (04/November/2026)
13:00 - 15:50 Workshop on aDNA from animal fossils, by Emily Ruiz Puerta, PhD (University of Groningen)
The main aim is to expose local students to a short introduction of bioinformatic analysis of aDNA data from walrus fossils to unravel genetic adaptation of Atlantic walrus to hunting activities by humans. And how by including contemporary samples, it is possible to connect the past with the present to inform sustainable futures.
15:50 - 16:20 Coffee break.
16:20 - 17:30 Round-table discussion on the Ethical aspects of Ancient Biomolecules research, by María Ávila Arcos, Emily Ruiz Puerta, Frank Guzmán, Constanza de la Fuente Castro and Quirino Olivera Núñez.
The roundtable will provide a perspective on the ethical aspects of studying archaeological and historical samples, their challenges and benefits, with a special focus on Latin American research.
Day 1 (05/November/2026)
9:00 – 9:10 Opening. Nataly Allasi Canales
9:10 – 10:00 Invited speaker. Quirino Olivera Núñez
“Marañón Culture: Archaeology of Early Cacao Symbolism in the Upper Peruvian Amazon”
Session 1 - Humans
10:00 – 10:15 Luis Manuel Gonzalez
“Ancient Life Histories and Isotope Variability: Bulk Versus Serial Sampling in Biomolecular Inquiry”
10:15 – 10:30 Karla Paola Patroni Castillo
“PPaleogenomic perspectives on Moche ritual life along Peru’s North Coast (AD 300–850)”
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:15 Aleksa Alaica
“Biomolecules and Multispecies Entanglements in the Andes: Past Trophic Relationships Across the Wild and Domestic Divide”
11:15 – 11:30 Sarah Martin
“Multi-Proxy Analysis of Human Skeletal Remains from Túcume: New Insights into Diet and Ancestry on the North Coast of Peru using ancient DNA, Radiocarbon Dating, and Stable Isotope Analysis”
11:30 – 11:45 María Fernanda Elías Navarro
“Archaeogenomic Evidence for Social Organization and Connectivity in Teotihuacan”
11:45 – 11:55 Daniela Orozco Perez
“Genomics insights on a highly ranked female warrior in ancient Mexico: “La Jerarca” "
11:55 – 12:05 Risako Kataoka
“Ancient mitochondrial genomes reveal maternal-line continuity through cultural transitions in the Bolivian Altiplano”
12:05 – 12:20 Xavier Roca-Rada
“Benchmarking Methods for Inferring Biological Relatedness in ancient DNA”
12:20 – 13:30 Poster session
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch break
Session 2 - Pathogens
14:30 – 14:45 Miriam Bravo López
“Paleogenomic insights into oral pathogens' evolution from Historical Non-Human Primates”
14:45 – 15:00 Davide Bozzi
“Ancient Treponema pallidum genomes reveal phylogenetic diversity and lineage persistence through time in South American populations”
15:00 – 15:15 Elizabeth Nelson
“Paleogenomic Insights into the History of Tuberculosis in South America Across Diverse Cultural Contexts”
15:15 - 16:05 Invited speaker. María C. Ávila Arcos
“Paleogenomic evidence of the diversity of enteric, respiratory, and oral bacterial pathogen infections in Mexico following European Conquest”
16:05 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 18:00 Movie screening and Q&A session with the movies director
"Estados generales" directed by Mauricio Freyre, 2025
Day 2 (06/November/2026)
9:00 – 09:50 Invited speaker. Frank Guzmán
"Genomic legacies of Caral: Ancient and modern DNA of Andean roots and tubers from the oldest city of the Americas"
Session 4 - Plants
09:50 – 10:05 Karen Anais Santisteban Obregon
“Evaluating Genomic Approaches for the Identification of Archaeological Plant Remains”
10:05 – 10:20 Renato Daniel La Torre Ramirez
“Lost Genes of Ancient Huarangos (Neltuma limensis): Paleogenomics to unveil the effects of Nazca-driven ecological change in South Peru”
10:20-10:35 Jazmín Ramos Madrigal
“The dynamics of genetic diversity loss during maize domestication”
10:35 – 10:50 Heather Chamberlain
“Genetic Legacies of the First Ancient South American State in Archaeological Maize”
10:50 – 11:05 Marcela Sandoval Velasco
“10,000 years of human-Agave interaction: A Paleogenomic perspective”
11:05 – 11:30 Coffee Break
Session 5 - Environmental and sedimentary DNA
11:30 – 11:40 Pablo Nicolas Arellano Caicedo
“The role of cations on the eDNA preservation”
11:40 – 11:55 Pere Gelabert
“Sedimentary DNA from the Pleistocene and Early Holocene of Patagonia Reveals Population Discontinuity in Humans and Animals”
11:55 – 12:05 David Azael Nava Santana
“Tracing ESCRT-III complex evolution from Asgard archaea to metazoans”
12:05 - 12:20 Cecilia del Valle Chaile
“Foodways and Ancient Biomolecules: Characterization of organic residues in archaeological samples from Argentine Patagonia during the late Holocene”
Session 6 - Fauna
12:20 – 12:35 Laura Cristina Viñas Caron
“Exploring Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyles in Coastal Peru through Clothomics”
12:35 – 12:50 Mahaut Goor
“Ancient nuclear genomes reveal the demographic history of Native American dogs”
12:50 – 13:00 Jaime Morin Lagos
“Using parrot paleogenomics to explore trans-Andean connections between pre-Hispanic cultures in South America”
13:00 – 13:10 Alondra Diaz Lameiro
“Camelids Across the Andes: Ancient Mitogenomes, Human Mobility, and Exchange Networks in Pre-Columbian South America”
13:10 - 14:10 Lunch break
Final session
14:10 – 15:40 Planning session for future editions of the conference
15:40 – 16:10 Coffee break
16:10 – 17:00 Invited speaker. Constanza de la Fuente Castro
"From the continental to the local: paleogenetic perspectives in South America"
17:00 – 17:30 Closing remarks and students’ awards
19:00 – 21:00 Social dinner
Details TBA