Ancient Human Footprints in New Mexico Date Back 23,000 Years!
A groundbreaking new study published in Science Advances has delivered the most convincing evidence yet that ancient human footprints found in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, date back around 23,000 years. If fully verified, this could upend what we thought we knew about when humans first arrived in North America, placing us there during the peak of the last Ice Age, far earlier than previously believed.
These remarkable footprints, originally uncovered in 2019 by a team from Bournemouth University working alongside the U.S. National Park Service, were first brought to public attention in 2021. Initial radiocarbon dating of seeds and pollen from sediment layers surrounding the tracks suggested an age range between 21,000 and 23,000 years. However, the results were met with some scepticism. Critics argued that dating aquatic plants, such as Ruppia cirrhosa, could skew the results due to their absorption of ancient carbon from water sources, potentially making them seem older than they truly are.
To resolve these doubts, a fresh round of fieldwork was carried out in 2022 and 2023, this time led by archaeologist and geologist Professor Vance Holliday from the University of Arizona. Instead of dating plant material, the team focused on ancient lakebed mud from the same sediment layers. Samples were sent to two separate laboratories for analysis, and both returned consistent results, dating the layers to between 20,700 and 22,400 years ago.
Photo Credit: National Park Service (Public domain)
All in all, researchers now have 55 separate radiocarbon dates, drawn from seeds, pollen, and mud, all pointing to the same timeframe. “It’s a remarkably consistent record,” said Holliday. “At some point, it becomes very difficult to explain all this away.”
The prints were originally found in streambeds that once fed into Lake Otero, an ancient lake that existed long before the gypsum dunes that dominate today’s landscape. Holliday first visited White Sands back in 2012 and has contributed essential geological data to both the initial and current studies.
Jason Windingstad, a doctoral researcher who worked on the latest excavations, described the moment he first saw the footprints as deeply moving. “It basically contradicts everything we’ve been taught about how humans first arrived in North America,” he said.
For decades, the dominant theory has been that the Clovis people were the first to arrive, around 13,000 years ago. The White Sands footprints now provide strong evidence that humans may have been present much earlier. While some scholars remain cautious, especially due to the absence of tools or permanent dwellings, Holliday isn’t surprised by the lack of artefacts. “These people lived by their tools, and they were far from any place they could easily replace them,” he explained. “They wouldn’t have left things behind without a reason.”
With multiple dating techniques now confirming the same timeline, the White Sands discovery could reshape the story of human migration into the Americas. It's a fascinating reminder that history is always evolving, and sometimes, all it takes is a few footprints to lead us in an entirely new direction.