RT Journal Article
T1 Genome-wide evidence for the local ancestry of the Agotes from Navarra, Spain
A1 Portela Estévez, Alicia
A1 Acuña Alonzo, Alín P.
A1 Fortes Lima, Cesar A.
A1 de Cabo, Elsa
A1 Gorostiza Langa, Amaya
A1 Tirapu de Goñi, Maitane
A1 Urrutia, Araxi O.
A1 Athanasiadis, Georgios
A1 González Martín, Antonio
AB The Agotes are among the most enigmatic minority social groups in the Iberian Peninsula, historically subjected to long-standing social marginalization by their non-Agote neighbors. Nowadays, all Agotes live in the small town of Bozate (Baztan valley, Navarra, Spain), but their origins remain disputed, with different hypotheses. In this study, we analyze genome-wide genotype data from 125 newly sampled individuals from Bozate, the Baztan valley, and Navarra. Our findings indicate that the Agotes have a local genetic origin and exhibit high levels of homozygosity. Their isolation is likely due to socio-cultural reasons. Additionally, we find fine-scale genetic substructure within the broader Basque-like landscape, detecting the Agote and Baztan components as part of these microstructures, due to social or geographic isolation, respectively. Overall, our findings challenge the long-standing historical perception of the Agotes as a foreign group and suggest a shared genetic ancestry with the local populations.
PB Cell Press
SN 2589-0042
SN 2589-0042
YR 2026
FD 2026-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/140940
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/140940
LA eng
NO Portela-Estévez, A., Acuña-Alonzo, A. P., Fortes-Lima, C. A., De Cabo, E., Gorostiza, A., Tirapu De Goñi, M., Urrutia, A. O., Athanasiadis, G., & González-Martín, A. (2026). Genome-wide evidence for the local ancestry of the Agotes from Navarra, Spain. iScience, 29(9), 117229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.117229
NO We extend our sincere thanks to the Government of Navarra and the City Council of the Baztan valley for their financial support and for facilitating and enabling the development of this study. C.A.F.-L. was funded by the Bertil Lundman’s Foundation and the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund (Nilsson-Ehle Endowments). G.A. was supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya via a Consolidated Research Group grant (2021-SGR-00706).
NO Gobierno de Navarra
NO Ayuntamiento de Baztán
NO Bertil Lundman’s Foundation
NO Royal Physiographic Society in Lund
NO Generalitat de Catalunya
DS Docta Complutense
RD 13 nov 2026