How old are the footprints at White Sands? It depends on who you ask. Scientists are currently divided on this question, but the division is one that is propelling more research with the goal of determining whether humans have been in North America for 23,000 years or closer to 15,000 years.
Curious about ancient sloths? Tune in to discover their story!
The ditch weed, or Ruppia, is at the center of this debate. What can a plant tell us about carbon dating to determine the age of the footprints at White Sands? What are the pitfalls of depending on an unreliable organic material? Dr. John Taylor-Montoya, director of the Office of Archaeological Studies, and Dr. David Rachal, a geoarchaeology consultant, have a lot to say about the scientific debate about the age of the footprints—and about the research that needs to be done to resolve the question.
“You have prehistoric deposits there that are a thousand years old or a few hundred years old, and they’re also out there amongst the footprints, tools, pottery sherds, as well as prints that people are making then at that point in time,” Taylor-Montoya says. “Out on that gypsum, it’s still a malleable surface. It’s still subject to those same physical forces and properties that gave rise to the footprints that are very ancient. And so again, we get to this picture of this landscape, this area that is very complex.”
Mentioned in this Episode:
Dr. David Rachal’s White Sands research papers
White Sands field interview with Dr. David Rachal
History, Science, Mythology, and the First Americans article in Summer 2023 issue of El Palacio
New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies
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Encounter Culture, a production of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, is produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios. Hosted by Emily Withnall, editor at El Palacio Magazine
Executive Producer: Daniel Zillmann
Technical Director & Post-Production Audio: Edwin R. Ruiz
Recording Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe
Editor & Production Manager: Alex Riegler
Associate Producer & Editor: Monica Braine (Assiniboine/Lakota)
Theme Music: D’Santi Nava
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