Assessing the demographic effects of Aztec imperialism: ancient mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence from Xaltocan, Mexico

Click on the DOI link to access the article (may not be free).Between AD 1428 and 1521, the Aztec empire conquered numerous polities in the Basin of Mexico. At Xaltocan, an influential Otomi town, historical and archaeological evidence provide conflicting accounts of the demographic effects of Aztec imperialism. While colonial documents state that the Aztec conquest led to a replacement of the Otomi population, archaeological finds suggest a substantial degree of population and cultural continuity