10.1371/journal.pone.0141923 Tom D. Dillehay Tom D. Dillehay Carlos Ocampo Carlos Ocampo José Saavedra José Saavedra Andre Oliveira Sawakuchi Andre Oliveira Sawakuchi Rodrigo M. Vega Rodrigo M. Vega Mario Pino Mario Pino Michael B. Collins Michael B. Collins Linda Scott Cummings Linda Scott Cummings Iván Arregui Iván Arregui Ximena S. Villagran Ximena S. Villagran Gelvam A. Hartmann Gelvam A. Hartmann Mauricio Mella Mauricio Mella Andrea González Andrea González George Dix George Dix New Archaeological Evidence for an Early Human Presence at Monte Verde, Chile Public Library of Science 2015 research reexamined bp New Archaeological Evidence interdisciplinary research problems New evidence Interdisciplinary debate climate environment stone artifacts Monte Verde area understanding colonization horizon Chile Questions interdisciplinary data americas challenge site anthropogenic origins artifact analysis Human Presence Monte Verde 2015-11-18 03:27:49 Dataset https://plos.figshare.com/articles/dataset/_New_Archaeological_Evidence_for_an_Early_Human_Presence_at_Monte_Verde_Chile_/1606800 <div><p>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.</p></div>