Monte Verde Archaeological Site
Monte Verde
Chile · Los Lagos
In brief
Monte Verde is an excavated settlement on the banks of Chinchihuapi Creek where organic remains are exceptionally well preserved. The site's widely accepted dating to approximately 14,500 years ago was reopened to debate in 2026, and other researchers challenged the proposed younger date.
What was found?
- 1Remains of wooden dwellings
Excavations uncovered wooden remains of shelters. The preservation of organic material enabled the settlement's structures to be studied.
- 2Wooden implements
Implements made of wood were found in the settlement. These provide direct evidence of a technology that decays and disappears at most excavations.
- 3Stone tools and points
The finds include chipped stone tools and fragments of long, leaf-shaped points. They document the settlement's stoneworking repertoire.
- 4Edible plant remains
Remains of plant foods such as wild potatoes have survived. These provide direct information about the plants consumed in the settlement.
What does it point to?
Wooden implements and food remains show that people used resources in the humid forest environment. The settlement's age is disputed: while the UNESCO nomination text gives a date of approximately 14.800 years ago, the researchers of the 2026 study propose a range of 8200–4200 years BP; critiques published by the excavation team defend the validity of the early dating.
What did it teach us?
- Preserved wood and plants brought to light evidence of shelter, technology and diet beyond stone tools.
- With its early dating, it became one of the principal foundations for the view that the settlement of the Americas predates Clovis.
- The opposing studies in 2026 show that the relationship between the age of the finds and the formation of the sediments containing them remains debated.
Latest news / selected archive
A study published in 2026 proposed a Middle Holocene age for Monte Verde II; a response study published the same year defended the validity of the dating to approximately 14,500 years ago.
Record
- First modern dig
- 1977
- Team / historical
- Tom D. Dillehay; Monte Verde research team
- Coordinates
- -41.5034°, -73.2051°
Sources
- whc.unesco.org
- doi.org
- doi.org
- ABD Jeoloji Araştırmaları Kurumu — 2026 Science makalesinin özeti
- Texas A&M Üniversitesi — 2026 tarihleme çalışmasına yönelik araştırmacı eleştirileri
Nearby excavations
- Ancient City of Tiwanaku 2,808 km
- Cahuachi Ceremonial Centre 2,973 km
- Machu Picchu 3,152 km
- Sacred City of Caral-Supe 3,430 km
- Chavín de Huántar 3,570 km
- Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex 3,587 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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