“Earnings from these links may be generated by Hearst Magazines and Yahoo.” A recent study sheds light on the presence of an ancient vehicle in New Mexico. The White Sands National Park in New Mexico continues to reveal new insights into the history of our ancestors. Tracks of footprints followed by imprints made by wooden poles provide evidence of the significance of a wheelbarrow-like contraption used by ancient inhabitants.
In a fresh study published in Quaternary Science Advances, researchers detail the discovery of tracks in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park that were created by one or more wooden poles tracing human footprints. These tracks likely represent one of the earliest forms of prehistoric vehicles known as a travois. These tracks, dated back to around 22,000 years ago, serve as evidence of one of the oldest vehicles in history.
Described by Matthew Bennett, a study author from the University of Bournemouth, as a “wheelbarrow without the wheel,” the travois predates the invention of the wheel, with the earliest wheels dating back to around 4500 B.C. The travois, essentially a non-wheel means of transport, was widely utilized within the ancient culture. The tracks found in various locations of White Sands National Park suggest that the travois was not limited to a single inventive family but was widespread among the ancient inhabitants.
The tracks reveal different styles of travois usage, with some tracks featuring two lines and others with a single line. Scholars speculate that the single-line tracks could have been created by two pieces of wood forming a triangular shape, with the driver holding the pieces while only the joined portion touched the ground. These tracks vary in length, with the longest being 164 feet and the shortest just over six feet.
Additional travois tracks discovered in the Pleistocene sediment show two parallel lines, likely created by an X-shaped travois with two handles and two points of contact with the ground. This X-shaped design was believed to provide more stability compared to the triangular design.
The fossil record in New Mexico is reshaping our understanding of early human presence in America. A recent study, published in 2024, dated footprints found in the region to over 23,000 years old, corroborating previous findings. Analyzing these ancient tracks provides contemporary scientists with valuable insights into the daily lives of ancient peoples.
The footprint records suggest that typically, an individual would drag the travois along the ground. However, some footprints of child-sized individuals were found alongside or within the drag marks, indicating the possible presence of spectators or helpers along the way. This contrasts with the use of animals to pull sleds in other parts of the world, as the study emphasizes that humans were the primary operators of travois in New Mexico.
The study authors assert that this unique footprint record may represent one of the earliest indications of transport technology.
