Welcome!

The archaeological site of Pukara is located in the modern town of Pucará, about 80kms NW of Lake Titicaca, on the road from Puno to Cuzco. The site was the center of an influential culture dated to approximately 2000 years ago.

Our archaeological project at Pukara began in the late 1990´s and has included geophysical survey, excavations, mapping, and a site survey, plus two field school projects. Most recently, in 2010 we had a very productive excavation project and worked on developing an ethnographic gallery at the nearby Museo Lítico Pukara, which was completed in early 2011. Blog posts include project photos and relevant links. Visit www.pukara.org for more information on the archaeological project & visiting the town of Pucará.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Getting to Know the Altiplano...

Today we started our class with a lecture about our goals at Pukara this year, followed by short workshops on ceramics, lithics (stone tools), and fauna (animal bones). The students had the opportunity to handle some artifacts and are getting excited to be in the field next week.

In the afternoon we headed to Sillustani, an incredible archaeological site about 45 minutes away from Puno. The site overlooks Lake Umayo and includes dozens of burial towers from the Altiplano Period (immediately pre-Inca) and the Inca occupation of the Titicaca Basin. The students were busy taking pictures, as were we. Here is a picture of the group with Lake Umayo in the background. There is a vicuña preserve on the island behind the students.

Off to Pucara tomorrow to see the feria (annual market) and give an introduction to the archaeological site and community where we will be living the next month.
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