A team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Texas have uncovered compelling evidence to prove human beings settled in North America much earlier than had once been believed. That evidence comes from the excavated bones of a mother mammoth and her calf that were apparently killed and butchered by indigenous Americans living in the lands of modern-day New Mexico approximately 37,000 years ago.
Until now, archaeological excavations had produced no artifacts that would suggest human beings were living in this part of the world so long ago. In fact, the state of New Mexico has long been associated with the theory that the first settlers in North America were from the Clovis culture, which was created by people who arrived in the region no earlier than 16,000 years ago. A large cache of tools left behind by the Clovis culture were found near the eastern New Mexico city of Clovis, and that is why these ancient people were given a name that will forever connect them to the state.
