ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the general research problem and history of investigative findings at Monte Verde and the environmental conditions that preserved the cultural materials. It provides the research design employed to recover, conserve, and interpret these remains, the archaeological findings and their general cultural meanings, and the implications of these finds to studies of early prehistory and past environments. The chapter focuses on a general characterization of the wetland archaeology and methodology at Monte Verde, and provides the broader cultural and theoretical relevance of the data. It explores the history of the project and research objectives, the research methods and findings, and the reconstruction of the paleoenvironment and landform. The chapter details an early wetland site, the late Pleistocene settlement of Monte Verde in the cool rainforest of south-central Chile. The majority of Early Man sites so far excavated in the Americas contain flint tools, animal bones, and some plant material.
