New Footprints Could Reveal The Truth About Human Arrival In the Americas

By Sherah Janay Ndjongo

October 10, 2023

child and adult footprints on sand beach
Photo: Getty Images

New research in New Mexico has unearthed ancient footprints, potentially rewriting the history of human presence in the Americas.

These footprints, estimated to be 21 to 23,000 years old, push back the timeline of human occupation in the region by thousands of years, challenging previous assumptions.

Tom Stafford, an experienced geologist residing in New Mexico, has played a pivotal role in comprehending this groundbreaking discovery.

He expresses astonishment at the implications, highlighting that humans were present in the Americas a significant 10,000 years earlier than previously believed, “Oh my God, now we’ve got people at 21,000 to 23,000, let’s say 10,000 years before what has been accepted.”

This discovery marks a profound shift in our understanding of how our ancestors first populated the New World.

Doubts that lingered in the scientific community have been largely dispelled, replaced by a consensus that there is compelling evidence of human presence in New Mexico.

The question of when and how early humans arrived in the Americas has long been a subject of debate, making the New Mexico findings all the more significant.

This revelation offers invaluable insights into the origins of human migration and settlement in the Americas, providing a fresh perspective on the story of humanity itself.

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