Huaca Prieta, a 7,800 year old ceremonial site in South America, may be even older than originally thought. Found in the earth below the structure were stone tools and the remains of plants and animals - all dating back to 15,000 years ago. This "re-dating" is one of a recent wave of late Pleistocene-era discoveries in the Americas that are reshaping the perspective archaeologists have regarding the peopling of the two continents.
Vanderbilt University archaeologist Tom Dillehay and his team of geologists spent 5 years excavating a 31-meter pit and discovered evidence of fires, tools, animal bones and plant remains. The charcoal has been radiocarbon dated to 15,000 years ago, right before the end of the last ice age.
Image courtesy of Google
This find along with others changes the old theories archaeologists had regarding the history of early Americans. The previously held theory stated that ancient people crossed an ice-free corridor from Siberia to Alaska and Canada, and finally settling into the center of the United States 13,000 years ago. With the recent discoveries, the date of their arrival must be pushed back at least 14,500 years - before an ice-free passageway existed.
Evidence for other migrations are sparse, but theories ranging from the use of boats to a migration down the Pacific Coast are being ventured.
The re-dating of Huaca Prieta illustrates that early inhabitants of the Americas did live on the coasts and likely fed on the marine animals there, despite the lacking evidence of fishing equipment. The site also hints at the possibility of other neighboring sites yet to be excavated, by virtue of Huaca Prieta being a large community of people living a coastal lifestyle. "This looks like people settling in. As old as this is, you're probably not looking at the first peoples on the landscape," says Loren Davis, archaeologist at Oregon State University.
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