Clovis First

The Clovis First hypothesis refers to the thesis that the Clovis culture represents the earliest human presence in the Americas about 13,000 years ago. The hypothesis dominated thinking on the peopling of the Americas for much of the 20th century.

Numerous claims of earlier human presence began to challenge the Clovis first model beginning in the 1990s, culminating in significant discoveries at Monte Verde, Chile, dating back 14,500 years.