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In the state of Sinaloa México, traditional farmers still cultivate maize accessions with a wide diversity of morphological characteristics, but the gene reservoir maintained in these populations has been poorly studied and it is being lost due to changes in land use and the adoption of hybrid commercial varieties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of some of these maize populations to contribute to their preservation. Twenty eight accessions were used for the analysis. DNA was extracted from 396 individuals and probed with 20 microsatellites distributed across the maize genome. A total of 121 alleles were obtained (average of 6.1 alleles per locus) and a total genetic diversity of 0.72. The UPGMA‐cluster analysis, model‐based population structure and principal component analysis revealed three major groups, one formed mainly by accessions of races typical of the Northwestern lowlands …