DID YOU KNOW - DNA science affirms that a majority
of Puerto Ricans can trace their American Indian linage via their maternal
lines. In 2000, a DNA study was conducted revealing a 69.6% frequency of
American Indian mtDNA
(mitochondrial DNA) among a sample of individuals who claimed an indigenous maternal ancestor. In
2005, the study was again conducted using a broader sample set of 800 random
individuals taken from throughout the island. This study concluded that
approximately that 61.3% of Puerto Ricans have an American Indian maternal
ancestry. Similar studies have been conducted in the Dominican Republic and in
Cuba. - UCTP Taino News © 2012
