Lauren Springs

The impact of European colonization on Indigenous American communities has been a major topic of anthropological and genetic research for decades. However, this work is often framed as the decimation and decline of Indigenous communities, overshadowing the resilience and persistence that characterize many Indigenous responses to colonial incursions. By collaborating with Maya leaders and local organizations, we aim to co-create a narrative that celebrates Indigenous resilience and survival. This project seeks to investigate the legacies of colonization and resistance on Maya communities in northern Belize by reconstructing their genomic history from the beginning of the colonial period to the present. Focusing on the Maya city of Chactemal (present-day Santa Rita Corozal), a site of documented Maya resistance against Spanish forces, we will analyze genome-wide and uniparental data from 125 Maya community members, to address questions about the timing and sources of local admixture events, changes in population size during and after the colonial period, and gene flow between the Maya in northern Belize and other Central American populations. This project will not only enhance our understanding of Maya population history but also contribute a nuanced framework for genomic research that foregrounds Indigenous agency and sovereignty.