The migration and settlement of humans in the Americas marked a pivotal moment in the global spread of humanity. Nevertheless, the precise timing of this significant event remains a topic of intense debate. Based on the available evidence, when did the initial human presence occur in North America?
Drawing from stone artifacts that date back to approximately 13,000 years ago, researchers throughout much of the 20th century proposed that the prehistoric Clovis culture was the first to journey to the Americas. Nonetheless, the discovery of the Monte Verde site in southern Chile in 1975, which dates back approximately 14,200 years, challenged this notion. If people managed to reach such a distant point in South America by that time—either following their ancestors' crossing of the Bering Land Bridge that once linked Asia and North America, or through seafaring along Pacific coastlines—then earlier sites must exist in North America, as stated by Michael Waters, a geoarchaeologist at Texas A&M University, speaking to Live Science.
Beginning in 2009, archaeologists commenced excavating layers at the Cooper's Ferry site in Idaho. Radiocarbon dating of human projectile points within these layers indicated that individuals had ventured inland into North America around 16,000 years ago, according to Waters. Cooper's Ferry stands as potentially the oldest compelling evidence of human habitation on the continent, and unpublished research from 2023 suggests even older indications: stone tools situated beside animal teeth, dating back to 18,000 years ago in Oregon. However, scientists have recently uncovered contentious indications of even more ancient sites in North America.
During 2020, archaeologists conducted excavations at Chiquihuite Cave in the Astillero Mountains of central Mexico, uncovering around 1,900 stone artifacts. Analysis through radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of these artifacts indicated the possibility of human presence in the region roughly 31,000 to 33,000 years ago.
Subsequently, in 2021, researchers examined 60 human footprints preserved in an ancient lake bed, now part of White Sands National Park in south central New Mexico. Through carbon-dating techniques applied to seeds found within sediment layers around the footprints, they proposed that human occupation of the New World might have occurred between approximately 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
Nonetheless, there are challenges associated with the assertions made regarding both the Chiquihuite and White Sands locations, as pointed out by Matthew Des Lauriers, an archaeologist from California State University, San Bernardino, in a conversation with Live Science.
Regarding Chiquihuite, even the team of scientists involved in the excavation acknowledged the potential for others to argue that the oldest stone items unearthed there might not be of human origin, but rather "geofacts"—ordinary rocks that appear artificial. An independent study from 2021 indeed made this counterargument.
Concerning White Sands, it's clear that the footprints are of human origin, noted Michael Waters. However, he highlighted that the ancient plant samples used to date the footprints might appear older than their actual age.
Des Lauriers commented, "The footprints have genuine issues with their dating." Waters estimated that these footprints might actually be around 15,000 years old.
Numerous claims arising from stone artifacts discovered in Brazil, such as those at Pedra Furada, suggested the potential presence of humans in the region around 35,000 years ago, Waters observed. Yet, a study in 2022 revealed that these artifacts could have been fashioned by capuchin monkeys, who utilized rocks to crack open nuts, he added.
Yet, additional evidence is surfacing regarding early human habitation in South America. In 2023, a study unveiled sloth bones from Brazil, aged at 27,000 years, which had been meticulously fashioned by humans into pendants.
Fresh concepts frequently arise and fade concerning the inhabitants of the Americas. For instance, not too long ago, there was the suggestion of a "Solutrean hypothesis," proposing that people from western Europe migrated to the Americas. However, recent genetic research on Solutrean human remains has shown no significant relation to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, as explained by Waters. Consequently, this hypothesis can be dismissed.
Ultimately, "it's important for the public to understand that archaeology is a process," Waters emphasized. "Science follows a specific path—new data is published, that data is scrutinized, further tests are conducted, and then ideas are either accepted or rejected. This process is deliberate and gradual."
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