South American History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/south-american-history/RSS feed for South American HistoryenTue, 12 May 2026 21:13:28 +0000Potatoes Didn't Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People's DNAhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/A new study finds that Indigenous Andeans living in what is now Peru have extra copies of a gene called AMY1, which helps the body digest starchTue, 12 May 2026 21:13:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/A New Big Database of DNA From Indigenous Americans Shakes Up Scientists' Theories About Human Settlement of South Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/Genomic data provides evidence for a previously unknown wave of migration, with Indigenous groups living in central and southern Mexico spreading into South America and the Caribbean starting around 1,300 years agoTue, 28 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/