Evaluating Claims of Early Human Occupation at Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico
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Chatters et al. on Chiquihuite ...
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Final Accepted Manuscript
Author
Chatters, James C.Potter, Ben A.
Prentiss, Anna Marie
Fiedel, Stuart J.
Haynes, Gary
Kelly, Robert L.
Kilby, J. David
Lanoë, François
Holland-Lulewicz, Jacob
Miller, D. Shane
Morrow, Juliet E.
Perri, Angela R.
Rademaker, Kurt M.
Reuther, Joshua D.
Ritchison, Brandon T.
Sanchez, Guadalupe
Sánchez-Morales, Ismael
Spivey-Faulkner, S. Margaret
Tune, Jesse W.
Haynes, C. Vance
Affiliation
School of Anthropology, University of ArizonaDepartment of Geosciences, University of Arizona
Issue Date
2021-10-23
Metadata
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Taylor and Francis Ltd.Citation
Chatters, J. C., Potter, B. A., Prentiss, A. M., Fiedel, S. J., Haynes, G., Kelly, R. L., Kilby, J. D., Lanoë, F., Holland-Lulewicz, J., Miller, D. S., Morrow, J. E., Perri, A. R., Rademaker, K. M., Reuther, J. D., Ritchison, B. T., Sanchez, G., Sánchez-Morales, I., Spivey-Faulkner, S. M., Tune, J. W., & Haynes, C. V. (2021). Evaluating Claims of Early Human Occupation at Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico. PaleoAmerica.Journal
PaleoAmericaRights
© 2021 Center for the Study of the First Americans.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Archaeologists working in Mexico recently claimed evidence for pre-Last Glacial Maximum human occupation in the Americas, based on lithic items excavated from Chiquihuite Cave, Zacatecas. Although they provide extensive array of ancillary studies of the cave's chronostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental record, the data they present do not support their central argument, that these lithic items are anthropogenic and represent a unique lithic industry produced by early human occupants. They give limited consideration to the most plausible alternative explanation: that the assemblage is a product of natural processes of disintegration, roof fall, and mass movement of the cave fill, and thus the lithic materials are best explained as geofacts. We assess the evidence by considering the alternative hypotheses (1) that the observed phenomena are artifacts or (2) that they result from natural processes. We conclude that hypothesis 2 is more strongly supported and that Chiquihuite Cave does not represent evidence for the earliest Americans.Note
18 month embargo; published online: 23 October 2021ISSN
2055-5563EISSN
2055-5571Version
Final accepted manuscriptae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/20555563.2021.1940441