Paleo-Indians in South America
Paleo-Indians in South America refer to the early inhabitants of the continent, believed to have arrived no later than circa 14,000 B.C.E. While the term "Paleo-Indian" was initially associated with North American archaeological sites, discoveries in South America, particularly the Monte Verde site in Chile, have revealed a rich cultural history predating the Clovis period. Artifacts from Monte Verde include lanceolate projectile points, wooden structures, and grinding stones, suggesting a complex society that hunted large animals and gathered plants.
Other sites, such as Taima-Taima in Venezuela, also show evidence of early human activity, with findings like juvenile mastodon remains. However, some older sites, such as Pedra Furada in Brazil, have faced skepticism regarding the authenticity of their artifacts. Although no skeletal remains have been found to provide direct evidence of the ancestry of these early peoples, prevailing theories suggest an Asian origin for the populations that migrated to the Americas, possibly through the Bering Strait.
The cultural expressions of Paleo-Indians in South America, including distinctive projectile point styles, continue to be a topic of interest and debate among archaeologists, with some proposing links to Clovis technology and others attributing similarities to functional needs rather than historical connections.
Paleo-Indians in South America
Date: c. 14,000-7000 b.c.e.
Locale: South American continent
Paleo-Indians in South America
The term “Paleo-Indian” was originally coined by North American archaeologists working with early sites in the American Southwest in the 1920’s. The archaeological culture said to represent this stage was called Clovis after an important site in New Mexico. Clovis, with its distinctive projectile points (subsequently radiocarbon-dated to c. 10,000-9000 b.c.e.), and “Paleo-Indian” remained synonymous for the next fifty years, and Clovis was believed to represent the earliest inhabitants of the Americas. However, new discoveries in both continents suggested that pre-Clovis archaeological cultures existed and that they were of substantial antiquity.
Although the controversy continues, it is generally accepted that the South American continent was occupied by pre-Clovis peoples no later than circa 14,000 b.c.e. The earliest widely accepted archaeological site dating to this period is Monte Verde, which is found in south-central Chile. Among the artifacts found here are narrow, lanceolate projectile points, fiber in the form of cords, carved wooden tent pegs, structures defined by logs, and grinding stones. The only other South American site with similar materials (projectile points) and acceptably early radiocarbon dates is Taima-Taima, in northern Venezuela, which is said to date circa 12,000-10,000 b.c.e. In addition to the points, the remains of a juvenile mastodon and stone artifacts were discovered. Although the data are sparse, the remains found from the sites indicate their inhabitants either killed or scavenged large animals and consumed plants such as the wild potato.
Sites with earlier dates, such as Pedra Furada in northeastern Brazil (c. 40,000-15,000 b.c.e.) and Pikimachay in the central Andean highlands (c. 18,000-13,000 b.c.e.), have been rejected by most archaeologists because of problems with excavation techniques and doubts about the likelihood that the artifacts found at them were in fact made or modified by humans. Similar doubts exist about an early component at Monte Verde (c. 30,000 b.c.e.), which is said to have crude pebble tools and purported hearths.
Although no classic Clovis sites have been found in South America, some archaeologists have speculated that certain projectile point forms, such as “fishtail” foliates found scattered across the continent from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego, represent a derivative Clovis technological complex. Others have suggested these similarities are not caused by historical connections but instead by similarities in function.
Unfortunately, no human skeletal materials have been recovered from South American Paleo-Indian sites, and therefore, direct tests of the ancestry of these early peoples await new discoveries. However, data from North America strongly support an Asian origin for all New World peoples, although the number and source of early migrations (one example being the Bering Strait migrations) are hotly debated.
Bibliography
Dillehay, Tom D. Monte Verde: A Late Pleistocene Settlement in Chile. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989-1997.
Fiedel, S. “The Peopling of the New World: Present Evidence, New Theories, and Future Directions.” Journal of Archaeological Research 8, no. 1 (2000): 39-103.