New Archaeological Evidence for an Early Human Presence at Monte Verde, Chile

Abstract

Questions surrounding the chronology, place, and character of the initial human colonization of the Americas are a long-standing focus of debate. Interdisciplinary debate continues over the timing of entry, the rapidity and direction of dispersion, the variety of human responses to diverse habitats, the criteria for evaluating the validity of early sites, and the differences and similarities between colonization in North and South America. Despite recent advances in our understanding of these issues, archaeology still faces challenges in defining interdisciplinary research problems, assessing the reliability of the data, and applying new interpretative models. As the debates and challenges continue, new studies take place and previous research reexamined. Here we discuss recent exploratory excavation at and interdisciplinary data from the Monte Verde area in Chile to further our understanding of the first peopling of the Americas. New evidence of stone artifacts, faunal remains, and burned areas suggests discrete horizons of ephemeral human activity in a sandur plain setting radiocarbon and luminescence dated between at least ~18,500 and 14,500 cal BP. Based on multiple lines of evidence, including sedimentary proxies and artifact analysis, we present the probable anthropogenic origins and wider implications of this evidence. In a non-glacial cold climate environment of the south-central Andes, which is challenging for human occupation and for the preservation of hunter-gatherer sites, these horizons provide insight into an earlier context of late Pleistocene human behavior in northern Patagonia.

Peopling time, spatial occupation and demography of Late Pleistocene–Holocene human population from Patagonia

“…We estimate similar ages employing a more comprehensive dataset of sequences, showing that these estimations are very robust. Interestingly, this estimation agrees with the controversial dates of the archaeological site Monte Verde (Chile), whose Component II has calibrated dates between 18,500 and 14,500 Cal BP (Dillehay et al, 2015), as well as with Piedra Museo and Pilauco with dates around 15,000 Cal BP Pino et al, 2013). However, our results cannot be interpreted as evidence supporting the veracity of the earliest radiocarbon dates from those archaeological sites.…”

The Role of Myth in Understanding Nature

“…In North America, the "first" humans had to contend with massive flooding, unpredictable freezes, and intermittent warming, while having to eke out a living by hunting and gathering while animal populations changed dramatically. Deglaciation in the northern Hemisphere began about 20,000 ybp (Clark et al 2009), which corresponds to most recent evidence concerning the timing of the peopling of the Americas (Dillehay et al 2015;Gibbons 2015). Climate change has been a major driver of population size changes in both humans and nonhumans over the last 50,000 years (Gibbons 2013;Lorenzen et al 2011;Pennisi 2004;Shapiro et al 2004).…”

Disease: A Hitherto Unexplored Constraint on the Spread of Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Pre-Columbian South America

“…BP (Losey et al 2013). Neither of these individuals is older than human presence in the Americas itself, which finds from sites like Monte Verde, Chile (Dillehay 2000), and Paisley Cave, Oregon (Jenkins et al 2012), now place beyond 14,000 years ago, and perhaps as early as 18,000 years ago (Dillehay et al 2015). However, they are sufficiently old not to exclude the possibility, discussed by Fiedel (2005), that dogs accompanied some of the first human settlers to expand through Beringia and on into the New World.…”