Critically, ancient DNA evidence from multiple sites across North and South America has confirmed that the first Americans arrived before the Clovis archaeological horizon — that the continent was occupied by people who were already here before the distinctive Clovis technology appeared.

Sites like Monte Verde in Chile, Cooper’s Ferry in Idaho, and others have pushed the timing of initial human arrival well before 15,000 years ago.

What this means for the ancient Texans — the people buried at sites like Bering Sinkhole and Buckeye Knoll — is a context that places them in the early stages of the establishment of populations across the continent.

They were not the absolute first inhabitants of Texas, but they were among the earliest well-documented populations, and their biological characteristics were being shaped by thousands of years of life in the North American interior.