AMS radiocarbon dating of two modified pearls from the Covacha Babisuri site, Espíritu Santo Island, Baja California Sur, México, corroborates associated midden dates suggesting that traditional indigenous use and modification of pearls as items of adornment began at least 8,500 years ago. To our knowledge, these are the oldest modified pearls found in dated archaeological contexts anywhere in the world. The presence of similarly modified pearls in later components at Covacha Babisuri suggests that this custom continued throughout the Middle Holocene, and ethnohistoric accounts indicate that similar modifications of pearls continued up until the Historic Era. These data show a long history of cultural continuity in the region in pearl harvesting, modification, and use as adornment.

中文翻译：

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美洲珍珠的古老：至少 8,500 年前在墨西哥南下加利福尼亚州开始的珍珠改良

来自墨西哥南下加利福尼亚州埃斯皮里图桑托岛 Covacha Babisuri 遗址的两颗改性珍珠的 AMS 放射性碳测年证实了相关的中期日期，表明珍珠作为装饰品的传统土著使用和改性至少始于 8,500 年前。据我们所知，这些是在世界任何地方过时的考古环境中发现的最古老的改良珍珠。Covacha Babisuri 后期组件中出现了类似修饰的珍珠，这表明这种习俗在整个中全新世持续存在，而民族史记载表明，类似的珍珠修饰一直持续到历史时代。这些数据显示了该地区在珍珠采摘、改良和用作装饰品方面的文化连续性的悠久历史。