Tours and Activities:

Engraved in Stone

These objects have been carefully preserved after they were discovered a few years ago. Specific studies have proved that they were produced by a very old civilization.

The Monte Verde Stone Museum opened its doors in 2000, in a typical Chilean-style house, as a result of years of archaeological research that revealed the existence of human settlements in the area dating back at least 14,800 years.

When visiting its rooms, we were able to observe numerous objects from these excavations: the first carved stones that represented the cultural development of those who inhabited these lands in ancient times. In addition, tools made of wood, bone, and leather, domestic items, weapons, and ritual objects were preserved, reflecting a complex life adapted to their environment. Among the noteworthy pieces are scrapers, mortars, “tranatrapihues,” totems, and other carvings that reflect the material practices of that group.

What is most surprising is the technique with which they used the materials at their disposal to make their tools. The inhabitants of ancient Monster Verde were hunter-gatherers who took advantage of both the richness of the Valdivian forest and that of the coastal and riverside environments, adapting to a humid and wooded ecosystem. Excavations have recovered remains of dwellings built with logs, skins, and waterproofing, stone tools, remains of fauna, including extinct megafauna, and even evidence of their diets, such as vegetables, wild tubers, mollusks, and fungi, which is unusual in such ancient sites.

This evidence reinforces the importance of Monte Verde: not only as the starting point for human settlement in the Americas, but also as an example of intelligent adaptation to the environment, with technology that combined lithic, organic, and natural elements in a difficult context.

Upon leaving the museum, we understood the magnitude of the discovery: recovering these relics allows us to glimpse the origins of the inhabitants of this continent. Monte Verde is not simply an archaeological site: it is a bridge to a remote past, a living trace of the first humans who inhabited these lands, and an invitation to appreciate the deep history of the region.

See also: Hotels in Puerto Montt and other accommodation venues