Dr. Tom Dillehay

Well, thank you. I appreciate being here.

Well, thank you. I appreciate being here.

Well, thank you. I appreciate being here.

The two continents are connected because in South America, specialists see the peopling of the continent coming from North America, obviously, down through Central America, across Panama, into the continent.

The two continents are connected because in South America, specialists see the peopling of the continent coming from North America, obviously, down through Central America, across Panama, into the continent.

The two continents are connected because in South America, specialists see the peopling of the continent coming from North America, obviously, down through Central America, across Panama, into the continent.

What's really exciting is not only new discoveries going on up and down the Western Hemisphere, and particularly in recent years in South America and also in the Amazon and along the coastline as well, but also genetics, as my colleague David Meltzer probably talked about, has added a very new and exciting dimension to the discipline related to connections between different kinds of sites and geographic vectors of movement and so forth.

What's really exciting is not only new discoveries going on up and down the Western Hemisphere, and particularly in recent years in South America and also in the Amazon and along the coastline as well, but also genetics, as my colleague David Meltzer probably talked about, has added a very new and exciting dimension to the discipline related to connections between different kinds of sites and geographic vectors of movement and so forth.

What's really exciting is not only new discoveries going on up and down the Western Hemisphere, and particularly in recent years in South America and also in the Amazon and along the coastline as well, but also genetics, as my colleague David Meltzer probably talked about, has added a very new and exciting dimension to the discipline related to connections between different kinds of sites and geographic vectors of movement and so forth.

But also what's been found in recent years in South America is exciting because we have a number of South Americanists themselves from different countries who have been getting their degrees in the U.S. and South American universities, North America, going back and doing a lot more research on this topic. So everything's coming together and coalescing in a new, exciting movement.

But also what's been found in recent years in South America is exciting because we have a number of South Americanists themselves from different countries who have been getting their degrees in the U.S. and South American universities, North America, going back and doing a lot more research on this topic. So everything's coming together and coalescing in a new, exciting movement.

But also what's been found in recent years in South America is exciting because we have a number of South Americanists themselves from different countries who have been getting their degrees in the U.S. and South American universities, North America, going back and doing a lot more research on this topic. So everything's coming together and coalescing in a new, exciting movement.

It's not as rich as North America. The reason being is because there are fewer investigators over the past, let's say, 50 or 60 years working the continent. But the record has increased significantly, and mainly along the Pacific coast and the desert areas of northern Chile and Peru, but also in the high Andes as well.

It's not as rich as North America. The reason being is because there are fewer investigators over the past, let's say, 50 or 60 years working the continent. But the record has increased significantly, and mainly along the Pacific coast and the desert areas of northern Chile and Peru, but also in the high Andes as well.

It's not as rich as North America. The reason being is because there are fewer investigators over the past, let's say, 50 or 60 years working the continent. But the record has increased significantly, and mainly along the Pacific coast and the desert areas of northern Chile and Peru, but also in the high Andes as well.

But there's always been a great deal of work for some curious reasons of people looking at the peopling of South America from the viewpoint of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. But also in recent years, largely due to Brazilian and French archaeologists, a lot more work's been going on in Brazil.

But there's always been a great deal of work for some curious reasons of people looking at the peopling of South America from the viewpoint of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. But also in recent years, largely due to Brazilian and French archaeologists, a lot more work's been going on in Brazil.

But there's always been a great deal of work for some curious reasons of people looking at the peopling of South America from the viewpoint of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. But also in recent years, largely due to Brazilian and French archaeologists, a lot more work's been going on in Brazil.

Absolutely. Here we have to talk about what we call archaeological visibility. When you get into the Amazon jungle, you've got a dense forest and preservation of the record is difficult. Organics are not well preserved. Soils have acid that eat the organic material. You've got the dense forest. But when you're working in the open deserts west of the Andean mountains, as you mentioned,

Absolutely. Here we have to talk about what we call archaeological visibility. When you get into the Amazon jungle, you've got a dense forest and preservation of the record is difficult. Organics are not well preserved. Soils have acid that eat the organic material. You've got the dense forest. But when you're working in the open deserts west of the Andean mountains, as you mentioned,