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Table of
Contents
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Introduction and
General
Entering
the Americas
Opening
and closing: the Bering Strait
Who are
they related to?
Selected sites are, with a few exceptions, more
than 9,000 years old. In American archaeology most
dates older than 10,000 are controversial. They are
under intense scrutiny and may change as new dating
technologies are developed and existing ones
refined. The dates given below for each site should
be regarded as rough guides only.
Ages given in years are the oldest known (or
thought to be known) of that site
Human populations (living or only recently
extinct) as opposed to purely archaeological sites
and remains are in bold
The countres are arranged according to neutral
geography from north to south.
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United States
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The
NAGPRA Follies
A selection of sites and finds from the
USA estimated to be over 9,000 years old
and endangered or already destroyed by
'political correctness' gone mad:
- Anzick Child (Montana)
- Buhl Woman (Idaho)
- Grimes Point Burial site (Nevada)
- Gordon Creek site, (Colorado)
- Spirit Cave Man and Girl (Nevada)
- Whitewater Draw site (Arizona)
- Wizards Beach Man (Nevada)
- Wilson-Leonard site (Texas)
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Topper
site (South Carolina) - < 50,000 years
(controversial)
Pendejo
site (New Mexico) - < 50,000 years
(controversial)
Meadowcroft
site (Pennsylvania) -
16,000 years
Cactus
Hill site (Virginia) - 15,000 years
Arlington
Springs Person (St. Rosa island, Calfornia) -
13,000 years
Clovis
site (New Mexico), the Clovis people and
Minnesota
Woman - 12,000 years
On
Your Knees site (49-PET-408) (Alaska) - 9,200
years
Kennewick
Man (Oregon) - 9,200 years
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Mexico
The
Pericu and Guaycura (Baja California Sur) -
extinct ca. 200 years ago
Special introduction to ancient Lake
Texcoco (Mexico City)
Hueyatlaco
(Valsequillo) site (Puebla) - claimed 1,000,000
to 250,000 years old (highly controversial)
Toloquilla
(Valsequillo) footprints (Puebla) -
claimed +40,000 years old
(highly controversial)
Tequixquiac
carving (Mexico State) -
40,000? years old
Tlapacoyan
sites (Vera Cruz) -
25,000 years old
(controversial)
Penon
Woman (Mexico City) - 11,000 years old
Olmec
civilization (Vera Cruz and Tabasco) -
from 4,500 to 1,900 years
ago
Tepexpan
Woman (Mexico State) -
13,000 years old
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Central
America
There are no major Central American
archaeological sites that go back more than 9,000
years. Isolated finds of stone tools in Belize and
Nicaragua and Coasta Rica indicate, however, that
such sites almost certainly exist but have not been
found yet.
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Argentina
Archaeology
and Prehistory in the Cone of South America
(with overview map of Argentinian archaeological
sites)
Archaeological sites in the northern half of
Argentina
Arroyo
Seco 2 - 11,600 years old
Gruta
del Indio - 11,000 years old
Archaeological sites in Patagonia
Los
Toldos sites - 13,000 years old
Tres
Tetas site - 11,500 years old
La Maria
sites - 11,000 years old
Cueva de los
Manos - 9,300 years old
Archaeological sites in
Argentinian Tierra del Fuego
Beagle
Channel sites (Tunel, Mischiuen, Shamakush,
Paiashauia, Acatushun, Imiwuaia) - 6,000 years
old
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Chile
Archaeology
and Prehistory in the Cone of South America
(with overview map of Chilean archaeological
sites)
Archaeological sites in Chile north of Tierra
del Fuego
Monte
Verde site - 33,000 and 14,000 to years old
Salar
Punta Negra site - 13,000 years old
Tagua
Tagua site - 12,000 years old
Quereo
site - 12,000 years old
Baño
Nuevo site - 9,000 years
old
Cuchipuy
site - 8,000 years
old
Chono
sites (Chiloe island) -
6,000 years old
Archaeological sites in
Chilean Tierra del Fuego
Pali
Aike cave (with Cerro Sota) - 13,000
years old
Fell's
cave (with Cerro Sota cave)
-
13,000 years
old
Tres
Arroyos rock shelter - 12,000 years old
Ultima
Esperanza site cluster (Lago Sofia, Cueva
Herraduras, Cueva Milodon, Cueva Medio) - 12,000
years old
Marazzi
rock shelter - 10,000 years old
Englefield
island site - 7,000 years old
Grandi
kitchen midden - 4,000 years old
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The American chapter, of which this Fuegian-Patagonian
sub-chapter is a part, is organised according to the country
in which the various sites described happen to be.
Exceptionally in the American context, Tierra del Fuego
(and to a much lesser degree also Patagonia) is split by an
international border into an eastern Argentinian and a
western Chilean part .The people and their archaeological
sites that we try to describe here are (or were) scattered
over one or the other or both countries. Unfortunately, the
two mother countries have not always been too keen on their
respective neighbour even though the local people on tboth
sides are equally friendly to visiting strangers and speak
the same Spanish language. Since international cross-border
politics is irrelevant to our subject, we have decided to
lump all of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia together in one
bi-national chapter - and to describe individual
archaeological sites under the country where these sites
happen to be located.
No offence to any proud citizens of either of the two
countries is meant and, we hope, taken!
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