mtDNA Amerindian polymorphisms were studied in 108 inhabitants of Montevideo, Uruguay, using PCR RFLP analysis. Amerindian haplogroups were found in 20.4% of the sample. The frequency of Amerindian polymorphisms in Montevideo differed significantly from that observed in Tacuarembo´, a city about 400 km away, indicating the high level of variation within Uruguay. Results for mitochondrial markers indicate that admixture occurred primarily as a result of Amerindian females mating with European males
