A late pleistocene human presence at Huaca Prieta, Peru, and early Pacific Coastal adaptations

Abstract

Archaeological excavations in deep pre-mound levels at Huaca Prieta in northern Peru have yielded new evidence of late Pleistocene cultural deposits that shed insights into the early human occupation of the Pacific coast of South America. Radiocarbon dates place this occupation between ~ 14,200 and 13,300 cal yr BP. The cultural evidence shares certain basic technological and subsistence traits, including maritime resources and simple flake tools, with previously discovered late Pleistocene sites along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. The results help to expand our knowledge of early maritime societies and human adaption to changing coastal environments.

Rise and Decline of Chinchorro Sacred Landscapes Along the Hyperarid Coast of the Atacama Desert

“…Human colonization of coastal northern Chile Atacama began by 10,000 to 9,000 cal BP and may have stemmed from earlier coastal groups found in Ecuador, and northern, central and southern Peru (Arriaza 1995a;Chauchat and Pelegrin 2003;de France and Umire 2004;Dillehay et al 2012;Lavallée et al 1999;Lavallée et al 2011;Manríquez et al 2011;Núñez and Santoro 2011;Rivera 1995;Rothhammer and Dillehay 2009;Sandweiss 2003;Sandweiss et al 1998;Stothert et al 2003). Current craniometrical data and genetic mtDNA evidence (Manríquez et al 2011;) has revealed that the skeletal material uncovered at the Acha archaic site (10,000-9,000 BP) -where cultural roots of the Chinchorro have been found-, are related to an early coastal migration.…”

Genetic analysis of paleo-colombians from Nemocón, Cundinamarca provides insights on the early peopling of northwestern South America

“…Archaeological evidence suggests that fishery resources were able to support relatively large human populations along the Pacific coasts of the Americas even before the development of agriculture (Melton, et al 2007;Dillehay, et al 2012). The prehistoric hunting tool "boleadora" found in Checua, previously detected about at Monte Verde (12,5 14 C Ka BP), in eastern Brazil (11,5 14 C Ka BP), and in the Southern Cone (Minelli, et al 2012), provides further evidence for early American settlers.…”

“…Figure 6a shows the distribution of D4h3a and D1 Native American haplogroups, providing evidence for early migrations extending along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, corroborating the spatial distribution of whole mtDNA lineages described by The paucity of early data from the migration route into South America along Colombia's Pacific coast (1300km lenght) is not surprising, this region has been characterized by extremely complex geological dynamics (tectonic plates movement causing significant seismic activity), dramatic changes in sea level, and elevated environmental humidity since the Holocene throughout the Darién Gap and Chocó, Colombia. These conditions are very different from those in Ecuador, Perú and Chile (Stothert 1985;Dillehay, et al 2008Dillehay, et al , 2012. Moreover, the socio-cultural conflict in this area has discouraged archaeological research, contributing to the scarcity of preceramic remains (Van der Hammen 2006; López-Castaño & Cano-Echeverry 2011).…”

Temprana Complejidad Funeraria en La Costa Norte De Chile: Origen, Desarrollo, Funcionalidad Y Relevancia Antropológica

“…se desplazaron probablemente por la costa del océano Pacífico desde el istmo de Panamá hasta el sur de Chile de acuerdo con evidencia proveniente de diferentes sitios costeros (Dillehay 2000;Dillehay et al 2012;Fladmark 1979;Keefer et al 1998;Lavallée 2000;Lavallée et al 2011;Llagostera 1979;Llagostera et al 2000;Rothhammer y Dillehay 2009;Sandweiss et al 1998;Stothert 1985). Cabe mencionar, sin embargo, que algunos sitios costeros podrían también haber sido ocupados por cazadores y recolectores que se acercaron al Pacífico desde territorios desérticos, serranos o transandinos donde grupos humanos se comenzaron a establecer a partir del Pleistoceno Tardío/Holoceno Temprano desarrollando distintos procesos adaptativos biológicos y culturales (Dillehay et al 2012). En consecuencia, o bien los pescadores de Quebrada de Acha (Muñoz et al 1993) podrían haber sido en parte descendientes de los primeros grupos que avanzaron por el litoral y éstos a su vez ancestros de los pescadores Chinchorro que hace cerca de 7.000 años comenzaron a practicar elaboradas técnicas de embalsamamiento ) o podrían ser parcialmente descendientes de grupos que se acercaron al Pacífico desde zonas precordilleranas, altiplánicas o transaltiplánicas.…”