---
node: sa_paleo_indian
type: period
slug: paleo_indian_south_america
title: "Paleo-Indian period"
lead: "The Paleo-Indian period covers the first human settlement of South America, from at least around 13,000 years ago to about 8000 BC. The site of Monte Verde in Chile is among the oldest securely dated human sites in the Americas."
published: 2026-07-13
updated: 2026-07-13
---

## Overview

The first South Americans descended from peoples who had spread down from North America, reaching the far south of the continent remarkably quickly. They were mobile hunter-gatherers who adapted to environments from Andean highlands to Patagonian plains.

## Key developments

Monte Verde in southern Chile, dated to about 14,500 years ago, shows people living on plants, seafood, and game earlier than the once-dominant Clovis-first model allowed. Distinctive fishtail projectile points spread across much of the continent in this era.

## End and transition

As the Ice Age ended, the mobile hunting life gave way to the broader foraging of the Archaic period. The early peopling of the continent remains a subject of active research.