Monteverde's 1997 validation broke the Clovis First model. In 1997, North America's leading archaeologists formally validated Monteverde as a legitimate site. Monteverde is located in southern Chile and dated to roughly 2,000 years older than the earliest known Clovis evidence (approximately 14,000+ years old). The site challenged the Clovis First model, which held that nobody was in the Americas before 14,000 years ago.
In 1997, leading archaeologists validated Monte Verde in southern Chile as a ~14,000+ year-old settlement, predating all Clovis evidence. With the ice-free corridor still closed, this broke the Clovis First model and revived theories of coastal migration and trans-Pacific boat travel. A major turning point for the peopling of the Americas. 🏺
Key Facts
- In 1997, North America's leading archaeologists formally validated Monteverde as a legitimate site.
- Monteverde is located in southern Chile and dated to roughly 2,000 years older than the earliest known Clovis evidence (approximately 14,000+ years old).
- The site challenged the Clovis First model, which held that nobody was in the Americas before 14,000 years ago.
- At that time, the ice-free corridor was closed, opening up alternative peopling theories including coastal migration, boat travel, and trans-Pacific crossings.
- Monteverde became a linchpin for re-evaluating other pre-Clovis sites previously dismissed under the Clovis First model.
Related site: Monteverde — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: A Catastrophe Killed the Ice Age Giants by The Cosmic Summit