The Hourglass Cave man, at approximately 8,800 calibrated years, sits in the middle of this early ancient DNA record — younger than Anzick and the Upward Sun River infants from Alaska, older than some of the other ancient individuals who have been analyzed.

What distinguishes him in the context of this growing record is his location.

He is among the earliest individuals from the interior of the Rocky Mountain region — from the high-altitude, landlocked terrain of what is now Colorado — to have yielded useful ancient DNA.

Most of the other well-known early ancient individuals from North America come from coastal or near-coastal contexts, from lower elevations, or from the far north of the continent.

The Hourglass Cave man is evidence of human presence and maternal-line genetic diversity specifically in the high-altitude interior of North America at a very early period.