New excavations at the late Pleistocene site of Chinchihuapi I, Chile

Abstract

This paper presents new excavation data on the Chinchihuapi I (CH-I) locality within the Monte Verde site complex, located along Chinchihuapi Creek in the cool, temperate Valdivian rain forest of south-central Chile. The 2017 and 2018 archaeological excavations carried out in this open-air locality reveal further that CH-I is an intermittently occupied site dating from the Early Holocene (~10,000 cal yr BP) to the late Pleistocene (at least ~14,500 cal yr BP) and probably earlier. A new series of radiocarbon dates refines the chronology of human use of the site during this period. In this paper, we describe the archaeological and stratigraphic contexts of the recent excavations and analyze the recovered artifact assemblages. A fragmented Monte Verde II point type on an exotic quartz newly recovered from excavations at CH-I indicates that this biface design existed in at least two areas of the wider site complex ~14,500 cal yr BP. In addition, associated with the early Holocene component at CH-I are later Paijan-like points recovered with lithic tools and debris and other materials. We discuss the geographic distribution of diagnostic artifacts from the site and their probable relationship to other early sites in South America.

Rapid radiation of humans in South America after the last glacial maximum: A radiocarbon-based study

“…In Monte Verde I / Chinchihuapi I and II the density of archaeological evidence older than 14,500 cal BP is extremely low and not conclusive enough to be considered as a clear signal of early humans. Even considering that all the recovered materials belong to ephemeral occupations, the evidence presented up to now is still weak and would need to be confirmed (as Dillehay et al [45] have stated) and we preferred to keep the dates out for now. In the Pilauco site there are inconsistences in the geological provenience of the dated samples in the different publications which make it difficult to adjust the chronology of the associated materials.…”

24.0 kyr cal BP stone artefact from Vale da Pedra Furada, Piauí, Brazil: Techno-functional analysis

“…All these evidences are added to the rich and different Pleistocene archaeological record of South America, which includes a multiplicity of cultural evidences dated before, during and immediately after the LGM, coming mainly from sites such as Monte Verde [6,9,11], Pilauco [28], Huaca Prieta [7], Pikimachay [79], Taima-Taima [2] and Santa Elina [22]. Likewise, in other regions of South America, such as southern South America, different research teams have been developing important contributions to our understanding of other aspects of the Peopling of the Americas such as timing, settlement patterns, human biogeography, humamegafauna interactions, etc.…”

Holocene capuchin-monkey stone tool deposits shed doubts on the human origin of archeological sites from the Pleistocene of Brazil

“…These sites include the most robust and coherent evidence sustaining an early human population (prior to the Late Glacial Maximum) of the South American continent, and constitute an important supporting evidence for other less well-known Pleistocene sites distributed along South America (e.g. Arribas et al, 2001;Boëda et al, 2014aBoëda et al, , 2021aDillehay, 2000;Dillehay et al, 2015Dillehay et al, , 2019Fariña and Castilla, 2007;Fariña et al, 2014;Guidon, 2008;Navarro-Harris et al, 2019). Among the most representative sites are "Pedra Furada," "Sitio do Meio," "Vale da Pedra Furada," and "Santa Elina."…”