This year (2001) is the third season of an archaeological field study in Chala, on the south coast of Peru, part of the ongoing research project led by Dr. Catherine Julien. Each year, a small group of students has participated in locating and studying towns named in a 1540 document authored by Francisco Pizarro. These towns were inhabited during the time of the Inca empire and afterward, when the Spaniards governed Peru. Many are located right on the coast, and refuse at these sites confirms the importance of marine resources. For centuries, people from the neighboring highlands have come down with llama caravans to take dried seaweed (qochayuyo) and shellfish back to their mountain villages. A number of towns named in the 1540 have been visited by past field crews. One, Pueblo Viejo, has been chosen for mapping because of the remarkable preservation of house compounds at the site. The region has permanent sources of water, and both agriculture and mining have been and still are important. The project has become a bridge between past and present. Part of the field season will also involve working with local people in the nearby oasis of Atiquipa to learn something about life in this very unique coastal environment.

The crew stays at Puerto Inka, a small off-season resort on a secluded Pacific bay. Like the ancient coastal peoples, a major part of the diet is fresh fish and shellfish. Because it never rains and the weather is very mild, the dining area is outdoors. Sometimes we have shared the facilities with film crews and a convention of local mayors, but most of the time, we have the place to ourselves. We work with a Peruvian archaeologist from the Catholic University of Arequipa, Alina Aparicio, who coordinates the project with Peruvian government authorities. Anyone interested in participating in the project should contact Dr. Catherine Julien (616-387-4632 or via e-mail at julien@wmich.edu). Good Spanish skills, coursework in history and anthropology, and an interest in Latin America are the prerequisites.