Huari, Peru 2017 Summer Excavation
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This GoFundMe campaign will financially assist students taking part in a 2017 international archaeological research project in highland Peru. Drs. William Isbell and Barbara Wolff will be co-directing an excavation and field school at the ancient Peruvian site of Huari, alongside project director Ismael Pérez Calderón. Undergraduate and graduate students from SUNY Binghamton, Montgomery College, the University of Huamanga, and other international schools will take part in this 3-year project in rural Peru.
What is Huari?
Huari was the capital city of the Wari Empire, occupied from approximately [phone redacted] AD. Located at 9000 feet above sea level, the site sits in the highlands of Peru in the Ayacucho Valley. The Wari Empire was arguably the earliest empire in the Andes, stretching across most of Peru's coastal and highland areas. With the core of the city covering over a square kilometer, population estimates at the height of occupation are between 35,000-70,000. The focus of this excavation is on urban residential spaces where students will encounter stone architecture, ceramics, stone tools, plant and animal remains, and potentially burials. Residential life and domestic spaces have not been studied nearly as extensively as monumental architecture and ritual centers in the Andes. With tens-of-thousands of former residents, Huari is sure to provide a wealth of information during this dig.
A view of Huari and the Ayacucho Valley
Who will be there?
Approximately 40 participants are expected for this dig.
Students from Binghamton University located in upstate New York, Montgomery College located near Washington D.C., and the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga (University of Huamanga) located in the city of Ayacucho will take part in the excavation as part of an archaeology field school or thesis work. Students will learn basic field techniques and spend time doing lab work while in Peru. These skills will give students a solid foundation for continuing studies or careers in archaeology, as well as the broader benefits of immersion in a foreign culture as part of a multinational research project. Some students will also receive college credits for their participation.
Specialists in bioarchaeology, botanical analysis, faunal analysis, GIS, and architectural conservation from Binghamton University, Vanderbilt University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of South Dakota, the University of Florida, the University of Toronto, and San Marcos University will be working alongside the project directors and students.
Dr. William Isbell is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University who has studied the ancient Andes for 50 years. Having published 10 books and nearly 100 other pieces, he has been the principal investigator on numerous Huari excavations and is considered one of the foremost experts on the Wari Empire.
Dr. Barbara Wolff is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Montgomery College in Maryland as well as a Research Associate at Binghamton University. With over 20 years of archaeological experience in the Andes, most of her work has been in the Ayacucho region. She is co-founder of Ayni, a U.S. non-profit organization that works with Ayacucho textile artisans, and administered a 2007 Ambassador’s Fund grant to improve archaeological collections management at UNSCH (the University of Huamanga.
Project director Zacarías Ismael Pérez Calderón is an Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Director of General Office of Research and Innovation at UNSCH. He has conducted numerous excavations in the Ayacucho region, including at Huari, and has written extensively about Huari architecture, publishing the most complete map of the site currently available.
Dr. Isbell with students at Conchopata, another Wari site
What are the expenses?
- $800-1600 round-trip airfare to/from the United States to Ayacucho, Peru
- $150 per week for housing and weekday meals
- $10-20 each weekend for meals
- $5 per week for laundry
- additional taxi and/or bus costs
This can quickly add up to over $3000 in necessary expenses for each student, not taking into account additional personal expenses such as museum visits or day trips to other archaeological sites.
Students excavating Wari architecture at nearby Conchopata
What do you get?
As a thank you to anyone who donates $10 or more, we will share weekly updates on the excavation. Many, many photos and videos will be sent in these weekly emails, as well as descriptions of the work we have done and what we've found.
1970s air photograph of the Huari site (courtesy Servicio Aerofotografico Nacional del Peru)
What is Huari?
Huari was the capital city of the Wari Empire, occupied from approximately [phone redacted] AD. Located at 9000 feet above sea level, the site sits in the highlands of Peru in the Ayacucho Valley. The Wari Empire was arguably the earliest empire in the Andes, stretching across most of Peru's coastal and highland areas. With the core of the city covering over a square kilometer, population estimates at the height of occupation are between 35,000-70,000. The focus of this excavation is on urban residential spaces where students will encounter stone architecture, ceramics, stone tools, plant and animal remains, and potentially burials. Residential life and domestic spaces have not been studied nearly as extensively as monumental architecture and ritual centers in the Andes. With tens-of-thousands of former residents, Huari is sure to provide a wealth of information during this dig.
A view of Huari and the Ayacucho ValleyWho will be there?
Approximately 40 participants are expected for this dig.
Students from Binghamton University located in upstate New York, Montgomery College located near Washington D.C., and the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga (University of Huamanga) located in the city of Ayacucho will take part in the excavation as part of an archaeology field school or thesis work. Students will learn basic field techniques and spend time doing lab work while in Peru. These skills will give students a solid foundation for continuing studies or careers in archaeology, as well as the broader benefits of immersion in a foreign culture as part of a multinational research project. Some students will also receive college credits for their participation.
Specialists in bioarchaeology, botanical analysis, faunal analysis, GIS, and architectural conservation from Binghamton University, Vanderbilt University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of South Dakota, the University of Florida, the University of Toronto, and San Marcos University will be working alongside the project directors and students.
Dr. William Isbell is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University who has studied the ancient Andes for 50 years. Having published 10 books and nearly 100 other pieces, he has been the principal investigator on numerous Huari excavations and is considered one of the foremost experts on the Wari Empire.
Dr. Barbara Wolff is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Montgomery College in Maryland as well as a Research Associate at Binghamton University. With over 20 years of archaeological experience in the Andes, most of her work has been in the Ayacucho region. She is co-founder of Ayni, a U.S. non-profit organization that works with Ayacucho textile artisans, and administered a 2007 Ambassador’s Fund grant to improve archaeological collections management at UNSCH (the University of Huamanga.
Project director Zacarías Ismael Pérez Calderón is an Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Director of General Office of Research and Innovation at UNSCH. He has conducted numerous excavations in the Ayacucho region, including at Huari, and has written extensively about Huari architecture, publishing the most complete map of the site currently available.
Dr. Isbell with students at Conchopata, another Wari siteWhat are the expenses?
- $800-1600 round-trip airfare to/from the United States to Ayacucho, Peru
- $150 per week for housing and weekday meals
- $10-20 each weekend for meals
- $5 per week for laundry
- additional taxi and/or bus costs
This can quickly add up to over $3000 in necessary expenses for each student, not taking into account additional personal expenses such as museum visits or day trips to other archaeological sites.
Students excavating Wari architecture at nearby ConchopataWhat do you get?
As a thank you to anyone who donates $10 or more, we will share weekly updates on the excavation. Many, many photos and videos will be sent in these weekly emails, as well as descriptions of the work we have done and what we've found.
1970s air photograph of the Huari site (courtesy Servicio Aerofotografico Nacional del Peru)Organizer
Bronson Wistuk
Organizer
Binghamton, NY