UPPER COLCA ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Arequipa, Peru

2003 PROJECT OVERVIEW

Note: the research described below took place in 2003. Click here for photos of the research in progress at the obsidian source. Check this site again in the future for updated information regarding our findings during the 2003 season. In recent years archaeological investigations in the Colca Valley of southern Peru have shown that the region holds tremendous potential for addressing research questions in anthropology and in Andean archaeology. The Colca Valley, renown for its dramatic Precolumbian agricultural terracing, well-preserved colonial churches and glaciated volcanoes where Inka ritual sacrifice sites have been found, is also the geological origin of Chivay/Cotallaulli obsidian, a stone tool material that was distributed widely in the south-central Andes.  This National Science Foundation funded archaeological survey and test excavation project will focus on the region surrounding Chivay/Cotallaulli obsidian source (Brooks 1997, Burger 1998) in order to document changes in the prehistoric use of this raw material source. The project will begin in June 2003 and in the course of the six month fieldwork phase we will survey 70 km2 of land upstream of the town of Tuti and around the obsidian source, and we will conduct limited test excavations at three sites identified in preliminary visits. The fieldwork phase will be followed by a three month analysis phase to take place in the city of Arequipa from January through March 2004.

i. Project Overview ii. Theoretical Issues iii. Methodology Description iv. NSF Proposal Summary

The aim of the project is to evaluate changes in obsidian procurement and processing in prehistory through archaeological survey and test excavation data and by way of patterns in lithic reduction strategies.  New technological approaches will be used in this project. Because of the wealth of digital data now available through remote sensing and Geographical Positioning Systems  technology, survey design and implementation is being organized digitally using a Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The ArcGIS 8 platform forms the basis of the GIS system in the lab, and a customized version of Arcpad 6 running on handheld / GPS computers will be used to direct survey strategy and to record site data in the field at ~1 meter accuracy (with post-processing). A recording strategy that uses digital forms will permit a variety of spatial analyses to be conducted, and by integrating GPS with custom archaeological forms the aim is to preserve established standards of data recording while increasing the speed of data acquisition .  The rural and high altitude context of much of this research project means that living conditions will be rustic. The bulk of the fieldwork will take place in the Colca and Pulpera river valleys and the project will be based out of a rented house in Callalli, a village at about 3900 meters above sea level (masl).

The Obsidian Source phase of the research project will involve numerous one-week research trips that will require camping at an elevation of nearly 5000 masl for over a month in total. This phase of the project will be the most challenging, but the rewards are great: the caldera where the source is located is pristine and scenic and the archaeological remains are abundant.  The work at high altitude won't be like a backpacking trip; it can be alleviated somewhat by hiring a mule to help with moving camp supplies and perhaps a cook

The view of the Colca from upper Quebrada de los Molinos.

will be hired. However, physical fitness,  experience at mountain hiking and an affinity for the rigors of high mountain environments will be essential for all project participants because of the difficulty of the working up high. This project will be employing sensitive electronic equipment in a cold and rough environment, therefore an additional challenge to this project will be addressing the limitations of these technologies that are increasingly a part of fieldwork.  A PDF flyer about this project is available at http://www.mapaspects.org/colca/research/overview/colca_survey_flyer.pdf

Nicholas Tripcevich Ph. D. Candidate, Anthropology UC Santa Barbara http://titicaca.ucsb.edu/colca http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~nico

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Next - ii. Theoretical Issues

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Project Description Pages

i. Project Overview

ii. Theoretical Issues

iii. Methodology Description

iv. NSF Proposal Summary

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References in Text

Brooks, S. O.
1997 Source of volcanic glass for ancient Andean tools. Nature 376:449-450.

Burger, R. L., F. Asaro, G. Salas and F. Stross
1998 The Chivay obsidian source and the geological origin of Titicaca Basin type obsidian artifacts. Andean Past 5:203-223.

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visits since 4 April 2003.