Harvard Summer Program in Tiwanaku, Bolivia

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ANTH S-170 Field Methods in Andean Archaeology: The Harvard Field School at Tiwanaku, Bolivia (31764)
Alexei Vranich and Gary Urton
(8 units: UN, GR) Limited enrollment.

Program dates: June 16-July 28
Extended application deadline: April 12
Program cost: $6,550 (tuition, room and board, and field expenses)
Deposit due: May 3
Full payment due: June 4

Since its earliest scientific excavation at the beginning of the twentieth century, the ruins of Tiwanaku have been the setting for many important ideas and theories about the origins of complex societies and states in the Andean region of South America. The magnificent ruins of this ancient, pre-Inca city stand on the high, stark plains south of Lake Titicaca near the border between Bolivia and Peru. Tiwanaku was originally thought to have been a ceremonial site for peoples of the altiplano, but excavations over the past 20 years have shown that this was the capital city of an ancient agro-pastoral state whose territory stretched from the lake into northwest Argentina and down to settlements on the Pacific coastal desert of Peru and Chile. Excavations by the Harvard Field School at Tiwanaku are aimed at understanding the life of both the common people and the rulers and nobility of this ancient city.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a long-term research project through intensive training in the different kinds of investigations presently being carried out at Tiwanaku. Students will be cycled through the field and the laboratory, closely assisting experts in order to gain an understanding of techniques of ceramic description and cataloging. In addition to first-hand excavation experience, students will have the opportunity to use specialized tools such as the laser transit and 3-D computing programs, and the geo-radar and other pieces of scientific equipment as they learn mapping and survey. Working closely with Bolivian students will enhance cultural awareness, while learning methods and topics particular to the site will introduce students to the broader issues of method and theory in anthropological archaeology.

Field trips will be guided by the head of the Institute of Archaeology of Bolivia and will include weekend trips to several places such as the mythic and sacred Island of Sun located in Lake Titicaca, the funerary monuments of the National Park of Sajama, a trek along the pre-Columbian road of Takesi through the subtropical jungle of the Yungas, and a visit to the temperate valley of Cochabamba, the breadbasket of the Inca empire and the location of one of its most spectacular fortresses.

The Course

The field site is the archaeological ruins of Tiwanaku located 45 miles from the capital city of La Paz. Tiwanaku is presently the most popular archaeological tourist site in Bolivia, receiving an estimated 30,000 visitors a year. As an example of primary state formation, this investigation of Tiwanaku provides an important contribution to our understanding of the nature of the florescence and collapse of complexity and urbanism in the Americas. The investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology of Bolivia (DINAAR) and the Municipality of Tiwanaku.

The six week field season will include a theodolite survey to record exposed architecture both within the projected zone and outside, geophysical survey to the north and west of the Akapana Pyramid, and excavations in the residential area to the north of the monumental zone.

Course Credit

For Harvard students, this program counts as 4 units of archaeological field method credit and 4 units of independent study credit in anthropology.

Harvard Summer School courses and credits are accepted toward degrees at most colleges and universities. Since degree requirements vary at different schools, students are advised to obtain transfer credit approval from their home institution before registering for Summer School courses.

Faculty

Alexei Vranich is Research Associate in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the principal investigator of the Tiwanaku archaeological project (PAPA), which has been under his direction since 1996 as part of an agreement between the University of Pennsylvania and the Unidad Nacional de Arqueologia de Bolivia (DINAAR). He has conducted fieldwork in a variety of places since 1988 including Spain, Italy, Arizona, California, India, Bulgaria, and Bolivia, and has traveled extensively to archaeological sites worldwide as a professional tour guide, and most recently as the host for the Discovery Channel. At Tiwanaku, Dr. Vranich has supervised five seasons of fieldwork that began with the mapping and excavation of the Pumapunku temple and has since moved into explorations around the monumental core of the site defined by the Akapana Pyramid.

Gary Urton is the Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Pre-Columbian Studies at Harvard University. A recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, Professor Urton's research interests include South American archaeology, ethnohistory and ethnology, and Inca record-keeping and mathematics. He is the author of many books on Andean studies, including works on Andean astronomy and calendrics, and the origin myths of the Incas. He has devoted his recent scholarly efforts to decoding an ancient system of knotted strings or khipus once used by the Inca to record both qualitative and quantitative aspects of their environment. Professor Urton's ground-breaking work on what amounts to a three-dimensional form of writing promises new insights into prehistoric Incan culture and the very nature of literacy.

Application

Students should submit the Harvard Summer Program in Tiwanaku, Bolivia application form which is available online, a $50 nonrefundable application fee, and a supplementary statement that includes the following information: coursework in archaeology and anthropology, relevant field experience, travel experience abroad, proficiency in romance languages (preferably Spanish), and the reasons for their interest in the Field School. Students must be 18 years of age or older. All application materials must be sent to Katharine Davis, Department of Anthropology, Peabody Museum 59A, 11 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138. They must have official transcripts sent directly from their schools to Ms. Davis. Priority will be given to undergraduate students in anthropology. All application materials must be received by April 12. Students should be aware that Tiwanaku is at a high altitude of over 12,000 feet above sea-level, and that the field school will require a moderate amount of strenuous activity.

Application forms may be downloaded from this website. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.)

Cost

The cost of the program is $6,550, plus a nonrefundable $50 application fee. In addition, students are responsible for a $110 health insurance fee (which will be waived if students have US insurance coverage) and for their transportation to and from Tiwanaku, Bolivia. The program fee covers:

• tuition
• room and board
• local activities
• local trips and ground transportation

A nonrefundable deposit of $655 must be received by May 3 in order to ensure the admitted student's place in the program. Payment in full is due by June 4.

Students who do not purchase health insurance through the Harvard Summer School should confirm that their insurance provider offers coverage outside the United States.

Harvard students are eligible for financial assistance through the Harvard Office for International Programs; other Harvard students may be eligible for assistance through their respective Harvard financial aid offices. Students enrolled at other institutions should consult their institution's financial aid office.

Accommodations

Accommodations are comfortable and have been in use for the past four years by the Tiwanaku Archaeological Project. The field house complex is located on site with living quarters having the standard amenities of electricity and hot water. The common rooms include a large dining area, a lab room and working area, and a modern kitchen with the capacity to prepare meals for large groups. Additional Information

Additional Information

For more information about the program, contact Katharine Davis, Department of Anthropology, Peabody Museum 59A, 11 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; kmdavis@fas.harvard.edu, (617) 495-2250.

Also see the Interactive Dig at Tiwanaku website for comprehensive information about the project.

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