DNA Study Confirms Lasting Impact of Spain’s 1600s Muslim Expulsion

A genetic study reveals Spain’s 1609–1614 expulsion of 300,000 Moriscos (converted Muslims) drastically reduced North African ancestry in Iberia, Informed Consent reported. Researchers analyzed DNA from four historical periods, finding significant Berber and Arab genetic ties before and during Muslim rule (711–1492), even among 15th-century Christians. Post-expulsion samples, however, show a sharp decline, aligning with modern Valencian genetics.

The purge, removing 3.6% of Spain’s population (proportionally like deporting 12 million Americans today), scattered refugees to North Africa and Latin America. Intriguingly, some Moriscos evaded colonial bans, leaving stronger North African genetic traces in Mexico than in Spain. The study, published in Genome Biology, underscores how forced migrations rewrite demographics while challenging myths of ethnic purity. Comparisons note modern displacement proposals in Gaza would exceed Spain’s expulsion in scale.