Pedra Furada rock shelters and the pre-Clovis debate

Record summary

Pedra Furada, within Brazil’s Serra da Capivara region, was excavated and publicized by Niède Guidon and collaborators as evidence for human occupation far earlier than accepted Clovis chronologies. Proposed evidence included stone artifacts, hearths, and charcoal dates extending deep into the Pleistocene. The site is important for comparing claims of early migration into South America and the effects of geomorphology on archaeological interpretation. The principal uncertainty concerns whether all alleged artifacts and combustion features are securely cultural rather than naturally produced or redeposited.