From Caves to Cosmos

Combine ancient wisdom and modern science to answer a 15,000-year-old question: who were America’s First Peoples? The answer hides in Amazonian cave paintings, Mexican burial chambers, New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon and waves off California’s coast.

Archaeologist Anna Roosevelt dates the cave paintings in Brazil's Amazon jungle to 13,000 years ago. Her discovery rewrites the traditional history of the peopling of the America and who those people were - not just big game hunters but also artists and scientists.

David Carrasco illuminates the similarities of the religious beliefs shared by indigenous peoples across the Americas. These similarities include sky worship including the sun and moon, the power of water, sacrality of trees, and human relationships to animal spirits.

Zuni elder Jim Enote speaks on why knowing Native names is an important source of information. Native names often reflect information about a place that is based on thousands of years of observation.

Archaeology reveals long distance trade with Chaco, including chocolate and precious metals.

Ancient Amazon art suggests people have been in the Americas much longer than previously thought.

Jim Enote of the Zuni uses ancient petroglyphs and contemporary art to create Zuni maps of the region.

Southern California Chumash continue canoe paddling traditions to connect to their ancestors.