Evaluation of the Geoarchaeological Study that Proposes a Middle Holocene Age for Monte Verde II, Chile

The late Pleistocene age of Monte Verde II (MV-II), Chile, has been challenged based on a regional geoarchaeological study of Chinchihuapi Creek [Surovell, T., C. Méndez, J.-L. García, C. Lüthens, J. M. Thompson, and C. Latorre. 2026a. “A Mid-Holocene Age for Monte Verde Challenges the Timeline of Human Colonization of South America.” Science 391: 1283–1288]. The authors of that study propose that the early archaeological component at MV-II dates to the middle Holocene. They also claim that the archaeological evidence at MV-II lies in a secondary context. The geological evidence and scenarios they present are flawed and inadequate to support their claim. Instead, evidence from decades of investigation supports a ∼14.4 ka age for MV-II.