The 2025 study did not include individuals from this very early period in its genomic analysis — the challenges of ancient DNA extraction from such old material, combined with the difficulty of finding well-preserved specimens from this period, meant that the genomic time series started at 6,000 years before present rather than at the beginning of the Altiplano’s documented human occupation.

The question of whether the very early Altiplano inhabitants were ancestral to the Checua people — whether there is genetic continuity from the earliest Tibitó-period hunters through to the Checua lineage at 6,000 years before present — is one that future research might be able to address if well-preserved specimens from early sites can be identified and successfully sampled.

For now, the Checua individuals at 6,000 years before present are the oldest in the genomic dataset, and their genetic distinctiveness from other South Americans suggests either long isolation on the plateau or derivation from a specific early South American founding lineage that is not well-represented by other ancient genomes.

Both possibilities — extended isolation or early divergence from a distinct founding source — are consistent with the data.