Monte Verde, Archaeological site near Puerto Montt, Chile
Monte Verde is an excavation along Chinchihuapi Creek near Puerto Montt in Chile. Remains of living areas lie buried beneath peat layers and damp ground.
Evidence for human presence reaches back over 14,000 years to a time before the known Clovis findings. Excavations in the 1970s yielded organic materials and worked stones.
Artifacts reveal early human ways of living at the end of the last Ice Age, documented through tools and plant remains. Researchers interpret from these traces how people gathered food and constructed timber dwellings.
Access follows an unpaved road off the Pan American highway, requiring private vehicles. Wet ground conditions make sturdy footwear advisable.
Moisture preserved organic material over thousands of years, including early potato remains from South America. Such finds typically do not survive at drier excavation sites.
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