Seven ancient genomes sampled from Lapa do Santo span roughly 8250–7140 BCE and reveal a snapshot of early Holocene genetic diversity in central-eastern Brazil. Maternal lineages include A2 (3 individuals), B2 (2), C (1), and D (1), while paternal markers show haplogroup Q in three males and C in one male. These mitochondrial haplogroups—A2, B2, C, and D—are among the founding maternal lineages widespread across the Americas; their presence here aligns Lapa do Santo with broad pan-American maternal ancestry patterns.
Haplogroup Q is a principal Native American Y-chromosome lineage found widely in both North and South America; its recurrence in these samples supports continuity of early male-line ancestries in the region. The detection of Y-haplogroup C—less common in modern South American populations—suggests additional paternal diversity during the early Holocene, though with a single C sample this may represent a transient or locally important lineage.
Crucially, the small sample count (n=7) limits population-level inference. Observed diversity could reflect local heterogeneity, migration, or kin-structured burial practices. Genetic affinities to later Indigenous groups remain plausible, but assertions about continuity, sex-biased migration, or specific migration routes require larger datasets. Thus, while the genetic data from Lapa do Santo illuminate early lineages in Brazil, they are best read as preliminary signposts rather than definitive maps.
