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Phylogeographical analyses provide information about the role of evolutionary processes underlying species diversity of the Neotropical montains. We used mitochondrial DNA sequence data for the Henicorhina leucophrys complex (Aves: Troglodytidae) from Mexico to Bolivia to describe population structure, infer relationships and divergence times among populations, examine lineage accumulation through time, assess cryptic diversity and explore the origin of elevational and latitudinal replacements of species. The complex comprises numerous lineages, reaching > 12% sequence divergence; most distinct populations are separated by geographical barriers, but several co-occur with elevational segregation or replace each other along the Andes. Some close relatives are separated by vast distances, with more distant relatives occupying intervening areas. The complex is likely to have originated in Mexico …