And, her discovery is dated at over 5,000 years ago, not just 500 years ago like Columbus. Dr. Betty Meggers and her late husband and fellow archaeologist Dr. Clifford Evans found there had been trans-Pacific contact between the people of what is now Ecuador and the people of Japan. The evidence is pottery. Some pieces that were dated at 5400 years ago matched the type of pottery being made in Japan at the same time. The similarities were amazing.
Japan is well known for their pottery making and the tradition is over ten thousand years old.
Ecuador has no similar tradition. Dr. Meggers developed this theory thirty years ago. She first had to use the evidence to convince her husband, Dr. Evans. Then the team brought the find to other archaeologists. Many were not interested.