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2019 UC Davis field school students leaving the U.S. for Peru.

2019 Field School Photos

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2019 Field School Photos

Photos from the 2019 UC Davis Archaeological Field School in the Puno Region of Peru.

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2019 UC Davis field school students leaving the U.S. for Peru.

first stop--Arequipa, Peru to acclimatize at 2500 meters (8000 ft) for two nights.

Arequipa's not a bad place to hang out. Dinner on the Plaza de Armas.

Drone's eye view of the field site located over 3800 meters in altitude in the Department of Puno, Peru. The site of Wilamaya Patjxa--the focus of the investifations--is approximately in the center. Rio Huenque in the foreground.

Before starting, an Aymara shaman and Alberto conducted a pago, or blessing ceremony

we also blessed a new datum, adding coca leaves to the pit

we then surveyed the datum position with a GNSS unit

Excavation at Wilamaya Patjxa begins... Esme and Alex excavating.

Test units are placed around the site in areas of high artifact concentration. Izzy excavating.

We use shovel to quickly dig through the plow zone. Esme, Rosa, and Dany excavating.

And all dirt is screened for artifacts. Martha on the screen.

Everyone screens... Julio on the screen.

a lot... Dany on the screen.

We recovered thousands of artifacts, mostly flaked stone debitage. Billy on the screen.

Often we find stone tools like this projectile point

squeaky-cheese sandwhiches for lunch. Lydia and Izzy.

then back to digging and screening. Rosa on the screen.

Caleb and Kusy on the screens.

Ian on the screen.

Occasionally we get help from little David.

David also enlisted the help of a baby llama.

On weekends we took field trips. The first one was to Sillustani, an Inca Period chullpa, or burial tomb site.

The Inca chulpas were constructed with ramps. Kusy, Julio, Martha, and Dany.

Izzy and Rachel next to a large chulpa.

Caleb, Alex, Rachel, Jessica, and Izzy with a culpa.

Jessica, Alex, and culpa overlooking the lake.

And back to work on the weekdays. Kusy and Kenny.

During the excavations, we look for dark stains that indicate the presence of archaeological features. Luis, Alberto, and Rohelio.

When we find stains, we expand the excavations as Ian is doing here.

Slowly but surely, ancient archaeological features are exposed. Alex, Esme, Socrates, and Nestor expose a feature here.

Here's another that Esme, Alex, and Socrates discovered.

And another that Javier, Billy, Ian, and Caleb found.

We carefully map the locations of features with GNSS units. Caleb and Ian mapping a feature here.

Jessica using the GNSS unit to map features.

And Luis mapping features by GNSS

Every Wednesday, we break for a special lunch called huatia. First David, Rohelio, and Javier build a small oven with dirt clods.

They are allowed to burn for about 30 minutes. Totavina and Kusy.

Then Rohelio loads the oven with potatoes before smashing it down.

After 30 minutes, we dig up the potatoes and eat. Maria, Maria, and Alex.

Totavina and Billy dip the huatia in chacu--a type of delicious clay salsa.

Sometimes we break for a game of soccer.

At the end of each day, we pile into the van an head to field camp in the town of Totorani

Panchita the lamb awaits our arrival with Norma and Juan at field camp.

We share camp with some llamas. Dr. Haas with llamas.

Rachel uses this opportunity to advance her research on camelid fibers.

Caleb take some time to practice the honda, or Andean sling.

One evening we got to participate in the anniversary party of Totorani Middle School.

On the second weekend in Puno, the students took a boat trip to the Uros Islands.

The Uros Islands look like this.

Some of the students on a boat at the Uros.

And back to excavating. Rosa, Maria, and Lydia carefully excavate a feature with animal bones.

Alex and Esme carefully excavate a features using bamboo skewers.

Feature excavation is a slow process.

But eventually we learn the contents. Here, Victor, Billy, Alberto, Ian, and Caleb show a prehistoric roasting oven that they excavated.

By week two, everyone was excavating archaeological features.

Here are some features in various stages of excavation.

This area was covered in ancient roasting pits.

Roasting features were sometimes challenging to excavate. Caleb excavates a steep undercut without collapsing the wall.

We use 3D photogrammetry to map the features in great detail. Greg take photos of a roasting pit for a 3D model.

Sometimes it helps to create shade for better photos...a process that brings everyone together.

Some more shade making...

And when all is said and done, we gain insights into the form and function of Wilamaya Patjxa, as site occupied over 7000 years ago.

At the end of it all, we fill the excavation units. Izzy in the background.

The PACT2019 excavation crew.

But the work doesn't end there. In the lab we start cleaning artifacts. Martha, Kusy, Billy, Julio, Greg, and Dany clean lithic debitage.

Alex and Jim carefully clean delicate bone artifacts.

During the last week, students took short trips to visit other sites. Rachel is at the Coriconcha Inca Temple in Cusco.

Billy, Ian, Caleb, and Greg at Machu Pichu.

Greg at Machu Pichu.

In Cusco, Esme and Izzy got tatoos of some of their findings at Wilamaya Patjxa.

Another crew went to Bolivia. Kenny is at the sunken court at Tiwanaku

The Ponce monolith at Tiwanaku.

The Bolivian crew also spent time on the Isla del Sol and Copacabana.

Where they saw some Inca architecture and fantastic views.

But all good things come to an end. The long journey home begins.

A thank you for Billy's support.

Food in Puno

Watia

Kaillachuro projectile point

Luis with the drone

zzy and Rachel modeling traditional clothes in the Uros islands.

Watia lunch with the community.

The end of the field season.

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