Archaeologists digging near Lake Tagua Tagua in central Chile have found stone tools and bones from long-tusked beasts with clear cut marks on them, dating back 13,000 years. The find suggests some of the first humans to settle in the area were killing and eating these animals back then.
The bones belong to gomphotheres, a group of tusked mammals related to modern elephants. The discovery comes from a large concentration of megafauna remains and stone tools uncovered over the past two years during excavations in the basin of the ancient lake.
The Bones and Tools
Several gomphotheres bones display clear cut marks, suggesting Indigenous people butchered the animals at the site. The bones and artifacts date to around 12,000 to 13,000 years ago, according to a Sept. 24 statement from the Catalan Institute for Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA).
The statement describes the assemblage of animal bones, plant remains and stone tools as “a record with no known parallels currently in South America.” It provides key information about when people first arrived in the Americas and the earliest Americans’ exploitation of the continents’ megafauna before the animals went extinct.
The cut marks on the bones are significant because they indicate deliberate butchery. The tools found alongside the bones support the idea that people were hunting and processing these animals.
What the Find Adds
The statement from IPHES-CERCA describes the assemblage as “a record with no known parallels currently in South America.” That claim is notable.
The find offers a well-preserved look at a specific moment in time. The bones, plant remains and stone tools together paint a picture of people living alongside giant animals at the edge of an ancient lake.
The presence of both bones and tools at the same location strengthens the case that the butchery was carried out by humans rather than scavengers. The combination of the two elements suggests a deliberate hunting and processing activity.
The Record With No Parallels
The statement from IPHES-CERCA describes the assemblage as “a record with no known parallels currently in South America.” That claim is notable.
What the find does offer is a well-preserved look at a specific moment in time. The bones, plant remains and stone tools together paint a picture of people living alongside giant animals at the edge of an ancient lake.
The claim is notable because it suggests this particular combination of evidence — bones with butchery marks alongside stone tools — has not been documented elsewhere in South America at this scale or detail.
What Happens Next
The research team has finished its fieldwork at the site. Now they will study the samples of sediment and remains they’ve excavated over the past few years.
The analyses will help researchers narrow down when humans first lived in the Lake Tagua Tagua basin and determine how they killed, butchered and ate the animals they encountered as some of the first people to reach the Southern Cone of South America.
That work will include examining the sediment for additional clues about the environment and the timing of human occupation.
Comparison Table
| Site | Location | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Tagua Tagua | Central Chile | 12,000 to 13,000 years ago |
| Monte Verde | Chile | 14,500 years ago |
| Huaca Prieta | Peru | Around 14,000 years old |
| Arroyo Seco | Argentina | Around 14,000 years old |
The find is a detailed snapshot of a moment that researchers can study closely.
The research team’s next step is to analyze the sediment and remains. That work will help answer questions about when humans first arrived at the lake and how they lived there.
The bones tell a story of people killing and eating giant animals at the edge of a lake, and the tools show they knew what they were doing. The find is a reminder that the Americas were settled by people who knew how to survive in a world full of creatures we can only imagine today.
Key Facts Box
- Lake Tagua Tagua: Central Chile
- Gomphotheres bones: Long-tusked mammals related to modern elephants
- Cut marks: Clear signs of butchery
- Stone tools: Found alongside the bones
- Date of bones and tools: Around 12,000 to 13,000 years ago
- Oldest confirmed site in South America: Monte Verde, 14,500 years ago
- Other early sites: Huaca Prieta (Peru) and Arroyo Seco (Argentina), both around 14,000 years old
The find offers a detailed look at a specific moment in time. The bones, plant remains and stone tools together paint a picture of people living alongside giant animals at the edge of an ancient lake.
Source material: “13,000-year-old butchered bones of long-tusked beast found in Chile give more evidence of early first Americans,” Live Science.
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