This paper presents a reconstruction of Proto-Tukanoan consonants and the classification of the family based on shared phonological innovations. The proposed reconstruction contrasts with previous comparative studies of the family by proposing a series of laryn-gealized stops (instead of voiced stops) and a different set of sounds for the alveolar and palatal points of articulation. Methodologically, it considers lexicostatistical methods to play a secondary role in the classification of languages in the Tukanoan family. It offers a detailed discussion of contact vs. inherited linguistic traits in the Tukanoan family and in the Vaupes region, well known for its multilingualism and system of linguistic exogamy, and concludes with an interpretation of the evolution of the Tukanoan family in historical terms.