The oldest skeleton ever found in São Paulo was indigenous and is 10,000 years old

A scientific study revealed the origin of Luzio, the oldest human skeleton which has already been found in São Paulo. The result of the genetic analysis identified the indigenous origin of the 10,000-year-old skeleton.

The discovery was published in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution and could change studies on ancestors in America, revealing the descent of current peoples.

According to the analysis of 34 genomes from four different regions of the country, the descendants of the prehistoric man found are the same as the population that inhabited America 16,000 years ago.

In addition to Luzio, another 34 individuals from 11 archaeological sites have already been identified as the ancestors of the people who today inhabit the regions, according to USP.

For scientists, the result obtained is essential proof that the population that lived in America did, in fact, leave descendants.

Meet Luzio: the oldest skeleton in São Paulo

Luzio was found in 1999 in the Ribeira River Valley, near the border with Paraná. At the time of discovery, anthropologist Walter Neves chose the name Luzio to honor Luzia, another important symbol of national prehistoric studies.

In fact, the skull found in the 1990s resembles the features of Luzia, the human fossil about 12 or 13 thousand years old, considered the oldest in South America.

For the archaeologist at the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology of the University of São Paulo (MAE-USP), the genetic study carried out on the skeleton proves that:

“Luzio is an Amerindian, just like a Tupi, Quechua or Cherokee. This does not mean that they are equal, but that, from a global perspective, they all derive from a single migratory wave, which arrived in America no more than 16,000 years ago, and if there was another population here 30,000 years ago, it left no descendants among those groups.”

(Image: Cecília Bastos/USP Images/Reproduction)

Scientific advances in archaeological studies

Research on the oldest skeleton in São Paulo also represented an important advance in genetic studies. The responsible team presented the first fossil DNA of pre-colonial Amazonian populations.

The result was celebrated by Tiago Ferraz da Silva, researcher and author of the scientific article, as research with ancient DNA offers new insights into the area of ​​genetic archeology.

The research project was funded by the FAPESP (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo). Research and analysis were carried out by researchers from the University of São Paulo and the University of Tübingen, in Germany.