Genetic Insights into Trans-Pacific Turkey Dispersal to the Philippines via the Galleon Trade

Michael James B. Herrera1*, Joan Quincy Lingao1, Juan Rofes1, Victor J. Paz1†, Jane B. Carlos1, Eduardo Corona2, Noel Amano3, Grace Barretto1, and Patrick Roberts4

1School of Archaeology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines; 2Centro INAH Morelos & Seminario Relaciones Hombre-Fauna, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México; 3Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany; 4Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanisation, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany; *mbherrera1@up.edu.ph

The movement of plants and animals across the Pacific during the Manila–Acapulco Galleon Trade (1565–1815) reshaped ecosystems and food systems on both sides of the ocean. One species that likely followed this route is the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a bird domesticated in the Americas but now found in the Philippines. Despite its presence, the history of how and when turkeys arrived in the archipelago has remained unclear. In this study, we explore the origins of Philippine turkeys using mitochondrial DNA, focusing on the control region. We analysed samples from modern-day turkeys in the Philippines together with historical specimens recovered from excavations in Intramuros, the historic walled city of Manila. These were compared with previously published mitochondrial sequences from ancient and archaeological turkeys in the Americas. Our results show that several haplotypes found in Philippine turkeys are shared with ancient American lineages. This genetic overlap points to a direct connection between Philippine populations and their New World ancestors. The presence of these haplotypes in both modern and historical samples further suggests that these lineages have persisted in the Philippines since their initial introduction. Taken together, the findings provide strong genetic support for the trans-Pacific movement of turkeys via the Manila–Acapulco Galleon Trade. More broadly, this study highlights how colonial trade networks facilitated not only the exchange of goods but also the movement of domesticated animals across vast distances, leaving lasting biological and cultural legacies.