Colombia's racial crucible: Y chromosome evidence from six admixed communities in the Department of Bolivar.

Objectives: To determine the African, European and Native-American paternal contributions in genetic samples from the Department of Bolivar (Colombia) with the aims of establishing (1) possible population substructures, and (2) the proportion of biological African heritage in admixed populations of European, Amerindian, and African descent.

Methods: Y-SNPs were typed in samples from six communities, including Palenque (renowned for its African linguistic and cultural heritage).

Results: Findings reveal a high diversity of Y-haplogroups.