Archaeological and Geological Evidence at Monte Verde II, Chile, Supports a Human Occupation at ∼14,500 Years Ago
Bibliographic Data
In recent articles, Surovell et al. (Citation2026a. “A Mid-Holocene Age for Monte Verde Challenges the Timeline of Human Colonization of South America.” Science 391 (6791): 1283–1288; Surovell, Todd A., César Méndez, Juan-Luis García, Christopher Lüthgens, Jay M. Thompson, and Claudio Latorre. 2026b. “Reply to Waters et al.: Stratigraphy, Chronology, and Redeposition at Monte Verde.” Science 391 (6791): 1283–1288) and Méndez et al. (Citation2026. “Misconceptions of the Stratigraphic and Landforms Relations at Monte Verde: A Reply to Dillehay et al.” Science 391: 1283–1288) challenge the age and cultural integrity of the Monte Verde II site in south-central Chile, which is dated to approximately 14.5 ka. We demonstrate that their claims are unsupported. They contain erroneous information and methodological and interpretive flaws. We uphold the original interpretation of MV-II as a late Pleistocene human occupation.
geological evidence · Late Pleistocene · redeposition · site chronology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Stratigraphy
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Monte Verde II
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |