UC Santa Cruz

Pathogens and colonialism are interconnected threats. Pathogens are imperceptible to the naked eye and sometimes deadly. Colonialism similarly can cause death and long-lasting destruction while the structural violence often goes obscured or unacknowledged. Ancient DNA has the power to untangle stories where these “invisible enemies” intersect. This dissertation investigates the pathogens brought to South America during colonization, pathogens present in South America before colonization, alternative wet lab methodologies, and the involvement of colonialism in the field of paleogenomics itself. Using metagenomic and high-throughput ancient DNA methods, I report on pathogens found in Peru during the early period of Spanish colonization, a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum-like pathogen from the Sabana de Bogota, and human mitochondrial data recovered from ancient high-touch items such as moccasins. Connecting the past to the present, the impact of pathogens and colonialism on societies leaves a heavy imprint that can be traced through to the future.