Program Overview

Ciudad Perdida is one of the largest in a network of Tayrona sites, polities that inhabited the Sierra Nevada for more than millennia and until contact with European (AD 200-1,600). Relationships between Ciudad Perdida and other sites are still unclear and this project is focused on clarifying temporal, cultural, political and economic connections within this network.  The 2013 season is dedicated to mapping out flagstone paths leading in and out of the city, as well as shovel testing and conservation and reconstruction work on collapse structures at the site.  Stratigraphic details will be carefully recorded and artifacts buried in terrace fill recovered and cataloged as students learn survey, excavation and conservation techniques.

For a BBC segment about the site and its cultural heritage, click here; For CCTV report about Ciudad Perdida, click here (part I) and here (part II). 

Instructor Bio

Santiago Giraldo, Global Heritage Fund, Fundación de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Ambientales Tayrona-FIAAT (sgiraldo@globalheritagefund.org).

Catalina Bateman (Museo de la Universidad de Antioquia) (catabate@msn.com).

Student Fees

Program Costs

All fees are payable to the Institute for Field Research. Eight semester credit units are provided through Connecticut College. Program fee includes registration, accommodations, program activities and health insurance.

Airfare, weekend meals (when in Santa Marta only), and optional excursions are additional.

Financial Aid

Please inquire about Financial Aid at your home institution. For details about the financial aid application process, please visit the Financial Aid section of this web site.

Budgeting

How much to budget depends on your travel, entertainment and souvenir choices. It is always best to overestimate your spending. We recommend that you budget accordingly to cover optional sightseeing, laundry, internet cafes, emergencies, etc.

Expenses NOT Covered:

-Airfare to/from the pre-designated meeting place for the field school.
-Food on weekends when away from the site.
-Miscellaneous expenses.
-Sightseeing outside formal field school excursions as outlined on the syllabus.

Accommodations

During the hike to Ciudad Perdida, we will be staying in the same lodges used by tourists. The first night you will sleep in a hammock. Lodges on the second night have bunk beds. Students will live in field housing located within the park itself. Conditions are basic, there is no hot water, and you will be sleeping on bunk beds, field cots, or mattresses placed on the floor. There are no private rooms. Power is provided by a small hydroelectric turbine and solar panels.

MEALS:

All meals will be communal events at the park kitchen and will provide plenty of food prepared by a local cook. The daily diet is based on rice, corn cakes, manioc, potatoes, plantains, lentils, beans, meat (salt beef, pork, and fish) and when available, vegetables and fruit juice. Vegetarians may attend but will find that vegetable and fruit availability will diminish as the season progresses and we use up our store of fresh produce. Vegan and kosher restrictions are impossible to accommodate in a remote location such as this one.

Please let us know when you apply for this program if you have special dietary needs, as well as any medical or physical conditions. We will advise you accordingly. The project is used to catering for vegetarians, those with gluten intolerance etc.

Travel Information

You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements to Santa Marta. International flights land in Bogota and you can then connect to a domestic flight to Santa Marta.  Avianca, Copa Airlines and LAN all serve the Santa Marta airport.  Students arriving by air will be met at the Santa Marta airport (SMR) by staff members. Those arriving by bus from Bogotá will be given instructions on how to get to Hotel Miramar.  You should make travel arrangements such that you arrive in Santa Marta on June 16.

VISA REQUIREMENTS:

A passport with at least six months of validity remaining is required. US citizens are permitted stays up to 90 days without a visa in Colombia.  For further information, please consult the U.S. State Department website (click here for a link).

HEALTH ISSUES:

For specific information regarding travel health issues pertinent to Colombia, please read the Centers for Disease Control Website. Click here to be directed to the CDC website.

Student Testimonials

This is a new program and no student testimonials are available.