Archaeological Excavation In Huamparán 2012

Excavation in Huamparan  still open to application inquiries.  In this site our focus is entirely archaeology. Excavations are being done in large areas opening architecture which has been covered up for hundreds of years.The context is less disturbed and the possibility to practice archaeological registries is very good. The site is situated at about 3800 meters above sea level, we will be camping in a local school base, about 400 meters from the site. Lab.activities and lectures will be given at the camp using power point and video projector.

Dates

July 1st - 23rd. 2012

http://arqueologiadeancashenglish.blogspot.com/2011/09/archaeological-work-2011.html

For further inquiries and application form please write to
archaeology_huari.ancash@yahoo.com

2012 Season Schedule and Application process

Huari Archaeological project  during season 2012 will  improve methodology in both areas (archaeology and bioarchaeology) by adding more days for osteology studies and lectures using power point presentations in Huari Lab. Please notice that this is a full research project and not a PhD research run by students with a deadline in mind. Our staff is Peruvian professionals, not students (Master or PhD), everyone with minimum 7 years of experience. We offer to improve your skills in a field and lab in an academical and friendly environment.


BIO ARCHAEOLOGY / PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Group 01
June 4th - June 25th 2012


ARCHAEOLOGY 

Group 01_ Marcajirca Site
June 4th - June 25Th 2012

Group 02_Huamparán Site
July 1st - 23th 2012
http://arqueologiadeancashenglish.blogspot.com/2011/09/archaeological-work-2011.html

Bioarchaeology field school takes  part in Marcajirca  site (1000 - 1600 AD) and  is combined of osteology lectures in Huari Lab and field techniques in the site so that students can acquire skills in both areas. Please keep in mind that excavations are made inside the tombs which have a very narrow entrance and limited space inside. One needs to be able to squeeze oneself in and stay bent or laying down while excavating.This requires some physical flexibility. Besides excavations you will also be analyzing bones in the specially set up field lab.
see details in: http://arqueologiadeancashenglish.blogspot.com/2011/09/bioarchaeological-work-in-marcajirca.html

Archaeology part in Marcajirca Site (Groups 01 and 02) runs together with bioarchaeology part, and focuses in excavation of domestic and public structures and recovery of material : pottery and lithics. This excavation provides us with  information on possibly rituals and chronology. In some instances we excavate outside of chullpas(local name for tumbs) while bio-archaeologist excavate inside. Thus archaeological excavations proceed in open space.

So in overview: the bio-archaeology part is excavation inside of tombs(chullpas), recovering and analyzing bones, drawing the distribution of bones inside of chullpas and making an inventory of them( we do not use stratigraphic leveling in this excavation because there is no ground or dirt to be taken out). In archaeology part we work in open space: excavating, identifying stratigraphic layers, drawing distribution of architecture, making inventory and drawings of found material such as pottery and  lithics.

For further inquiries and application form please write to
archaeology_huari.ancash@yahoo.com  in your e-mail  indicate which part of the project you are interested in (archaeology or bio-archaeology).

Bioarchaeological Work In Marcajirca 2011

First group 2011 in Marcajirca: Omar Alejos, Alejandra Contreras, Sammanta Linninger, Dr. John Verano, Jasmine Cloven, Mellisa Lund, Grace Warren, Amelia Hessey, Kristen Glass, Emily McDaniels, Sammantha Holder, Katia Valladares, Kathryn Mortesen, Leslie Corona and Rachael Porter

Second Group 2012 in Marcajirca: Mellisa Lund, José Sanchez, Emily McDaniels, Bebel Ibarra, Rosemary Pinales, Chritopher Rinker, Oscar Loyola, Carlos Escobar y Fernando Gutierrez (up)
Reona Oda, Magdalena Auron, Karine Andreassen, Kelsey Hack and Michaela Reizenger (down)

 Lecture in Huari House by Dr. Verano, Department of Anthropology of Tulane University, during his visit to our field school in 2011

Excavations in tombs are usulaly in small spaces

 Excavation in tombs involve work in many positions and closed spaces

Verifying Bone Inventory under Oscar's supervision

Analyzing and making inventory of the material beside chullpas

Mellisa supervising bone inventory in Marcajirca Lab

Working in Marcajirca lab students rotate: maximum 3 students at a time in order to give a quality teaching

Bone Inventory Form to be filled out

Drawing recording bone distribution in tombs

Archaeology Work 2011

Archaeology Team In Huamparan. Up: Parag, Lea and Hugo, sitting upper row: Fred and Linn, Francesca, Christopher, Carlotta and Lindsey. Lower row: Carlos, Jhon, Bebel and Fernando

Excavations in Marcajirca-behind a tomb

Excavation in Marcajirca to determin occupation before the tomb was built

Excavations in Marcajirca - usually in open spaces

Excavation in "area" in Huamparán- we work with several units positioned next to each other

Recordering architecture in Huamparan

Drawing architecture

Excavating to identify reoccupation or re-use of walls

Excavating a possible intrusive tomb in the main structure

Archaeological drawing which is afterwards passed to autocad program

Season 2011 over welcome 2012

Dear friends: we had a wonderful and interesting season 2011 in Marcajirca and Huamparán, thanks to the 30 students who have taken part in 2011 season.

We want tell you we will have for sure a season 2012 , always in archaeology and physical anthropology/bio-archaeology.

We will update our web site shortly with information regarding application process, schedule and cost.

Contact me with any questions archaeology_huari.ancash@yahoo.com

Thanks to:

Leslie Corona, Alejandra Contreras, Kristen Glass, Samm Holder, Amelia Hesey, Emily McDaniel, Kathryn Mortesen, Grace Warren, Samantha Linninger, Rachael Potter, Jasmine Cloven, José Sanchez, Christopher Rinker, Leona Oda, Rosemary Linares , Michaela Reizenger, Magdalena Auron, Karine Andreassen , Kelsey Hack, Lindsey Potter, Linn Haking, Fredrik Granlund, Lea Rouger, Francesca Bologna, Carlotta Deiana, Hugo Cano, Jhon Cruz, Parag Kadam.

Gracias también a:

Melisa Lund Valle, Elsie Tomasto, Katia Valladares, Oscar Loyola, Fernando Gutierrez, Carlos Escobar, a los populares Omar y Manolo.

Un agradecimiento especial al Dr. John Verano por su visita y contribución al conocimiento sobre los antiguos Huarinos.

Gracias Margarita y Rohan, mi novia e hijo por la paciencia al soportar mis ausencias mientras estaba en el campo.

2012 comming soon

AAPA Meeting 2011

The project is presenting a poster in the American Association of Physical Anthropology meeting 2011 , we are showing the results of season 2009.

Marcajirca Is located in the region of Ancash, a province of Huari, approximately 500 km North East of Lima, 3800 MASL and belongs to the Late Intermediate Period. This time in chronology of Peruvian archaeology correlates to 1200-1500 A.D. This site is about 40 hectares in size, and it is situated at the top of the mountain with a very difficult access to it. Apparently the choice of such location had defensive reasons; there are walls on both extremities of the site - North and South. The research of the last years shows us the existence of several sectors such as (1)Public- there is an amphitheatre where the population must have had meetings, (2) Residential – which is located in the southern part of the site and so far we have identified 57 ‘houses’, most of them of circular shape. Excavations in these ‘houses’ unveiled evidence of fire, domestic vessels, burned animal bone and some seeds. However the (3) Funeral sector is the most impressive one. There are 35 chullpas or tombs, and about 23 funeral caves with human remains inside most, although all the remains, whether in chullpas or caves, have been disturbed. Besides the chullpas and the funeral caves there one more kind of burial which we call an underground burial and it is this type of burial that we are presenting here (AAPA). Underground burials are not very common in the region of Ancash. Nor they are common during the Late Intermediate. Recuay (200-600 A.D.) culture used to bury their dead in a sort of underground tomb, but such tomb had walls which would give shape to the tomb. In Marcajirca’s case excavation shows us that people were simply digging out a hole without making walls and after laying the dead body in and then covering it with dirt. People being buried underground in a site where chullpas and caves were always open call our attention. Neither chullpas nor caves dominating the site were ever fully sealed as such was the funerary custom of old huarinos and this custom was being practiced in a bigger part of Northern and Central Peru. Why would people be buried underground having many tombs around? We think that during colonial time (c XVII) the Spanish church prohibited the natives to bury their dead in any archaeological sites following the old custom, and forced they bury the dead according to the tradition of Catholic Church. To old huarinos Marcajirca was a sacred place, a place where their ancestors were still “living” and in order to keep them “living” those alive had to later be buried with the ancestors. Apparently huarinos during colonial time did not obey the Church and kept secretly burying their dead in archaeological sites, and in order to hide the dead and not be punished by the Church they buried underground. The remains of one individual buried underground date to 1610 A.D. which would mean that the Spanish were already in the area for at least 80 years

Fieldwork Marcajirca 2010

Inside a chulpa before we enter it

Drawing before the actual recovery of bones from the cave or chulpa

Nicole doing inventory

Briana drawing bones

"Tools" of every bioarchaeologist while in Marcajirca

Field lab

Is that Stephanie in the chulpa?

Marie-Line really perfected that 1x1.5m

Yet she says it is still not perfect

Roc busy with paperwork

Tired of bones Dawn?

Inside a chulpa

Always chatting

Fieldwork Huamparan 2010

Lab Work in Huari & X-Ray 2010

A look at deformed craniums via X-Ray

Melissa and Marco

Bebel giving lectures

Melissa lecturing