Monte Verde

ILLUSTRATION BY CANDACE ROSE RARDON   About 7,500 years ago a construction project of almost unfathomable scope began taking shape along the Pacific coast of what is today northern Peru. Initially a low-lying ceremonial mound, it would become in 4,000 years’ time a monument of staggering size—100 feet tall,… Read More

Tom Dillehay's discoveries at Monte Verde in southern Chile revolutionized the understanding of how and when the Americas were first peopled. Read More

Stone tools, cooked animal and plant remains, and fire pits found in Southern Chile provide greater evidence that a nomadic people adapted to a harsh ice-age environment--the first known Americans--reached South America more than 15,000 years ago. Read More