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| AT LEAST THERE WASN'T SNAKES - Most of the sites we excavated were covered in a variety of cactus and were exposed to the full sun and subject to both wind and water erosion. The climate was harsh and typically we worked mornings until 1 or 2 pm. By 2:30 - 3:00 on most days, winds blowing up the valley would strengthen and pick up minerals mixed in with the sand, causing compass needles to spin and resulting in a haze that would distort sight lines and make survey work inaccurate. Yet, the greatest threat to us personally was boredom. (This is a photo of Achomany.) |
Location of the 1984 excavatoins by Beloit College students under the direction of Dr. Dan Shea (Nov. 5, 1941 - June 19, 2012):
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| The area outlined and designated ACHOMA is one of 20 districts within the province of Caylloma. (Think of it as being equivalent to a township in US municipal government terms although its real, geographical function is that of a glacial watershed.) The double-dashes outline the glacial water run-off area that feeds the extensive system of irrigation channels flowing into and over the agricultural terraces. The Colca Valley is one of the riches agricultural areas in all of South America and was reserved as a personal estate for the Pizarro half-brothers during the era of conquest (Nov. 16, 1532 to April 10, 1548). |
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| This is a view of ACHOMANY (one of our main excavation sites) and the 'modern' village of Achoma in the foreground. If you look on the ridgeline in the photo, the lone tree to the right of center is at the extreme (right) edge of the Achomany site. The small area to the right of this tree is the site of SAN MIGUEL, a chulpa (burial) complex. This image was taken from Pilloni Pata, another residential area although smaller than Achomany and also has an associated chulpa complex although different than San Miguel as some of the burial are in excavated caves as opposed to rock-lined pits. |
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| The elevation of the plaza of Achoma is 11,260 feet above Pacific sea level while the site of ACHOMANY is approximately 11,850 feet. This image shows the switchback 'trail' that leads up to and across the terraces to the Achomany site. Achomany is to the immediate left of the 'lone tree' and constitutes a residential hamlet or grouping. Protecting this section of the valley from possible raiders/invaders are two 'fortresses', CORICANCHA and AUQINIKINA. The 'bump' on the ridge at the extreme upper left corner of this image is the second or lower fortress of Coricancha and is at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The initial fortress, Auqinikina, lies below the edge of the PUNO and is at approximately 12,500 feet in elevation. The PUNO is the large, mostly flat desert at approximately 14,000 to 15,000 feet that exists between valleys and the glacier capped peaks of the Andes. Prior to the Conquest Era (1532-1548), native inhabitants would climb up to the PUNO, travel to their destination using mountain peaks and celestial navigation aids and then drop down into the appropriate valley. Therefore these fortresses where critical as they were the portal to the valleys. |
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| An image of the PUNO about half-way between Achoma and the southern city of Arequipa. The elevation is approximately 15,000. |
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| This is a image of ACHOMANY looking up-hill in the direction of CORICANCHA. It was impossible to draw an accurate map of this site using the Brunton compasses we had due to a limited number of people with mapping experience, changes in elevation and thick growth of cactus. We did complete an accurate house count, measurement and orientation of the said houses as well as an understanding of the defensive walls. Water distribution resources were also identified but an overall understanding of the channels and how water was distributed on the site was never obtained. In retrospect, that was a very important component of the story and I know an element of the site survey that Dan really wanted to focus on. |
Ecavations were carried out by 9 Beloit College students of the anthropology department from August until November of 1984. This was part of a much larger project under the direction of Dr. William Denevan (Principal Investigator) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Geography. The UW-Madison graduate students and Dr. Denevan had returned to the United States prior to our arrival, although we did have contact with a number of native Peruvian archaeologists, graduate students and a variety of international engineers who were completing the multi-decade irrigation project known as M.A.J.E.S. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) project to bring glacial waters from the high desert (PUNO) to the coastal region via the Valley Colca, River Colca and River Majes. Below is the 'old' system of irrigation along the River Majes, Department of Arequipa.
