The First Humans in North America
Over the past century, the dating of a human presence in North America has been revised on several occasions as researchers continue to find new evidence.
Source: Wikimedia
For a long time, archaeologists and researchers supported the Clovis First theory, which suggests humans first arrived in the Americas around 13,000 years ago. Before this period, no humans were thought to have existed in the Americas.
Final Blow to the Clovis Theory
Despite several researchers challenging this theory throughout the 20th century, academics firmly believed that no humans had made it to the Americas before around 13,000 years ago.
Source: Wikimedia
However, the theory was finally dismissed in 2008 when a team of researchers led by Dr. Dennis Jenkins from the University of Oregon produced radiocarbon dating, suggesting humans, who migrated from Asia, occupied the Paisley Cave in Oregon over 14,340 years ago.
Humans Arrived in the Americas Much Earlier Than Initially Thought
Since Dr. Jenkins and colleagues’ groundbreaking study at the Paisley Caves in south-central Oregon, several other researchers have found evidence indicating humans arrived in the Americas much earlier than initially thought.
Source: Wikimedia
While some evidence suggests migrants arrived 2,000 or 5,000 years earlier than the Clovis culture, a cave in Mexico may suggest humans were present in North America over 15,000 years earlier than once.
Ancient Humans Were Present in the Americas Over 30,000 Years Ago
Archaeologists working at northern Mexico’s Chiquihuite Cave have discovered ancient tools, animal and plant remains, and a burial site dating back to more than 30,000 years.
Source: Ciprian Ardelean-INAH/Texas State University
This means the people of the Chiquihuite Cave arrived in America over 15,000 years before the Clovis culture. However, researchers say there’s no sign this mysterious group remained in the gene pool, giving the impression they might have died out.
The Investigation of Chiquihuite Cave
DNA scientist Professor Eske Willerslev of St John’s College, University of Cambridge, led the study of the cave and shared his thoughts on the new discovery in a press release.
Source: Mads Thomsen
“For decades, people have passionately debated when the first humans entered the Americas. Chiquihuite Cave will create a lot more debate as it is the first site that dates the arrival of people to the continent to around 30,000 years ago, 15,000 years earlier than previously thought,” he said.
Researchers Claim Mexican Cave Has Produced More Questions Than Answers
The researchers explained that little is known about the original inhabitants of the Mexican cave, and the extensive decade-long investigation of the area has raised more questions than answers.
Source: Freepik
“These early visitors didn’t occupy the cave continuously. We think people spent part of the year there using it as a winter or summer shelter, or as a base to hunt during migration. This could be the America’s oldest-ever hotel,” said Willerslev.
Stone Tools Discovered in a Cave 9,000 Feet Above Sea Level
The researchers published their findings in a study in the Journal Nature. The cave, which sits over 9,000 feet above sea level, produced over 2,000 stone tools, which most likely means the site was inhabited for quite some time.
Source: Ciprian Ardelean
According to geneticist Mikkel Winther, the team also discovered a plethora of other items from which they could extract DNA, including “a wide range of animals, including black bears, rodents, bats, voles, and even kangaroo rats.”
Who Owned the Tools?
As no remains were discovered at the Chiquihuite Cave, researchers have been unable to discern who the original inhabitants were or where they came from.
Source: Wikimedia
“We don’t know who they were, where they came from, or where they went. They are a complete enigma. We falsely assume that the indigenous populations in the Americas today are direct descendants of the earliest Americans, but now we do not think that is the case,” said Dr. Ardelean from the University of Zacatecas in Mexico.
A Seasonal Settlement
One potential theory suggests the cave was used as a seasonal settlement by these early Amercians.
Source: Freepik
“We think people spent part of the year there using it as a winter or summer shelter, or as a base to hunt during migration. This could be the Americas’ oldest ever hotel,” said Willerslev.
The Last Holy Grail of Archaeology in the Americas
According to Dr. Ardelean, unconventional sites such as the Chiquihuite Cave need to be taken seriously and properly explored as: “The peopling of the Americas is the last holy grail in modern archaeology.”
Source: Wikimedia
“This site doesn’t solve anything, it just shows that these early sites exist. We are dealing with a handful of humans from thousands of years ago so we cannot expect the signals to be very clear. We have literally dug deeper than anyone has done in the past,” he added.
The Explosion of Population in the Americas
Despite the discovery that pushes the presence of humans in the Americas back over 15,000 years before the Clovis culture, the earliest genetic evidence is still only around 12,400 years old, explains Dr. Ardelean.
Source: Freepik
He added, “We have shown the previously long-held date of human presence is not the oldest date for populating the Americas; it is the explosion date of populating the Americas.”
