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Archaeology Field Schools
| South America - Bolivia - Obrajes Regional Archaeological Project |
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Archaeology Field School Location and Dates
Application Deadline
2010-04-01
Start Date
2010-05-24
End Date
2010-07-10
Multiple Sessions
no
Multiple Session information
N/A
Archaeology Field School Location
Obrajes Valley, Department of Oruro Bolivia, South America
Archaeology Field School Tuition and Credits
Sponsoring College/Institution
Academic Credit
6 to 9 (12 transferable academic credits can be arranged--please contact the field school director for more information)
Archaeology Field School Tuition
$4,250 basic field school fee; $5,150 includes 6 credits; $5,600 includes 9 credits from the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Archaeology Field School Room and Board
included
Archaeology Field School Travel
roundtrip airfare to La Paz, Bolivia not included
Additional Information on Tution/Room and Board/Travel Costs
The cost for the field school program is $4250. This includes all in-country housing, food (3 daily meals, drinks, and snacks), ground transportation, excavation equipment and supplies, cultural field trips, and the course reader. University of Hawaii at Manoa Study Abroad program fees are also included. The program fee increases to $5150 for 6 transferable semester credits of ANTH 381 (undergraduate level) or ANTH 668 (graduate level), or $5600 for 9 transferable semester credits.
Archaeology Field School Description
The Obrajes Regional Archaeological Project is a multi-year project designed to reconstruct long-term changes in settlement patterns, demography, and community interaction in the Andean highlands. The 2010 field school will focus on the first stage of research, the construction of a regional chronology through excavations at three sites in Bolivia’s Obrajes Valley. Students will be introduced to common field practices employed in anthropological archaeology, with a focus on problem-based research. We will involve you in the full array of hands-on, day-to-day activities of an ongoing program of archaeological research. Training modules also include a range of analytical approaches to ceramic, lithic, and faunal assemblages, from washing and organizing to analyzing, recording, photographing, and curating artifacts. The course also gives you practical field experience in field documentation, processing, and data management strategies. Excavations at three sites spanning 4,000 years of occupation in the valley will provide data for the construction of a regional chronology. Uspa Uspa is a large, densely occupied Formative Period (ca. 2500 B.C.– A.D. 100) community belonging to the semi-sedentary agropastoral Wankarani culture of the altiplano. Jach’uma is a newly discovered site on top of a ridge mid-valley with occupations spanning the pre-Tiwanaku (ca. A.D. 100-800) and Tiwanaku-contemporary (ca. A.D. 800-1100) periods. Paria, the third site, is a well-known Inka (ca. A.D. 1300-1500) center next to our home base of Obrajes. Bolivia has much to offer in history and natural beauty. During the first and last weeks of the field school, all project participants will be treated to several cultural excursions. All costs associated with these field trips are included. In addition to field trips around La Paz and Lake Titicaca in the first week, we will visit the mines of Oruro, a number of museums around the country, and the breathtaking Salar de Uyuni (salt flats). Period(s) of occupation 2500 B.C. to A.D. 1500 (Formative, Early Intermediate, Middle Horizon, Late Intermediate Periods)
Archaeology Field School Additional Information
Archaeology Field School Type
Excavation, prehistoric, laboratory artifact analysis will cover ceramics, lithics, and faunal remains
Time Period
2500 B.C. to A.D. 1500 (Formative, Early Intermediate, Middle Horizon, Late Intermediate Periods)
Field School Setting/Conditions
We will live in an adobe house in the Quechua village of Obrajes, about 30 minutes from the city of Oruro. We have relatively comfortable conditions there, although Bolivia during these months gets very cold at night. There are well developed hot springs a few minutes walk from our house, where you can soak and bathe in a private tiled bath...a lovely end to a day of field work.
How is the project area accessed each day
All three archaeological sites to be excavated lie in the highland Obrajes river valley, fairly close to our home base of Obrajes. The project truck will drive us back and forth between the house and the site each workday.
What is the daily schedule for the field school
During weeks 1 and 7, we will visit a variety of cultural and historic sites around Bolivia. Week 2 is devoted to site mapping and grids. Week 3, 4, and 5 excavations are at three different sites. Week 6 is devoted to final analyses.
Number of years this Archaeology Field School has been in operation
first year
Is there a professional certification for this field school
N/A
Directors and Instructors
Dr Christine Beaule Anthropology Department 346 Saunders Hall University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 96822
Specialized skills you will have the opportunity to learn
During rotations of small groups, students will receive training in a variety of practical aspects of artifact preparation, analysis, and conservation (i.e., archaeological practica) which address fundamental archaeological analyses. Among others these will include: (1) Pottery and artifact cleaning (2) Ceramic analysis: description, classification, and illustration (3) Ceramic reading and typology of relevant forms (4) Artifact description and classification (5) Artifact photography (6) Data entry: recording conventions, database design and management (7) Artifact conservation and storage (8) Record keeping and duplication
On rain days will there be lab work?
Yes, although May through July are part of the winter season, when rain is exceedingly rare in the highlands.
Will there be additional organized activities?
In addition to practical field training in excavation methodologies and laboratory analytical techniques, the experience of working and living in a Quechua Indian village in rural Bolivia is a rich one. This experience will be greatly enhanced by regular interactions with villagers both on the site (local villagers and Bolivian students from La Paz will both be working with us) and outside of work. You will participate in a ch’alla (offering to Pachamama to bless the project) at the start, learn the intricacies of status hierarchies as reflected in coca breaks, study land tenure and sociopolitical organization in modern communities, and bond with our Quechua and Aymara neighbors over soccer games at the school. Bolivia has much to offer in terms of natural beauty and historical sights as well. In addition to field trips around La Paz and Lake Titicaca in the first week, we will visit the mines of Oruro, a number of museums around the country, and time permitting, the breathtaking Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) to the south.
Will there be additional organized activities?
Every week, lectures will be given on the archaeology, cultures and history of Bolivia and Andean Latin America.
Is travel restriced during free time?
no
Archaeology Field School Contact Information and Website
Field School Website:
http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/Fieldschools/Obrajes/index.html
Field School Contact Information
Be sure to let them know you heard about their program on ShovelBums!
Dr Christine Beaule, Anthropology Department 346 Saunders Hall, University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 96822 U.S. 808-956-4195
Field School Contact E-mail:
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Field School Contact Website:
http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/Fieldschools/Obrajes/index.html
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South America - Bolivia - Obrajes Regional Archaeological Project
