Program Overview

The Lake Titicaca Basin is one of the few places in the world where complex societies independently developed. The archaeological site of Taraco was a major center in this region during the Middle (ca. 1300-500 BC) and early Upper (ca. 500 BC-AD 100) Formative Periods. Recent work revealed a long occupational sequence that included evidence for participation in long-distance trade networks and public ceremonialism, as well as the earliest evidence of successful raiding in the south central Andes. Working alongside colleagues and students from Peruvian universities, we will continue to investigate these patterns, and students will gain experience in a range of archaeological techniques and methods.

Instructor Bio

Dr. Abigail Levine (abigail.levine@ucla.edu) received her Ph.D in Anthropology from UCLA in 2012 after completing both a B.A. and M.A. at Stanford University. Her research looks at the evolution of human cooperation and complex societies, focusing specifically on the roles of war and trade in this process. She has several years of field experience working as an archaeologist and ceramic analyst on projects in Peru, Bolivia, and Italy, and is the director of Proyecto Arqueológico Taraco, an archaeological field project based in the Lake Titicaca Basin of Peru

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, meals on workdays, and health insurance.

Airfare, weekend meals, 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

Students will live in comfortable, but modest, field housing in the city of Juliaca, and will be provided with hotel lodging while in Puno. The site of Taraco is located at 3,840 meters above sea level (ca. 12,500 feet) so a period of adjustment to the altitude will be necessary and mandatory. Conditions at the field house are basic and hot water is not always guaranteed. Students will likely sleep on bank beds or on mattresses on the floor and will share large communal rooms. Students will have the option to travel to Puno (approximately 50 minutes from the project house) on Saturday afternoons, where hotel accommodations will be provided and optional excursions can be arranged (at an additional cost).

MEALS:

All meals will be communal events and will provide plenty of nutritious but basic food in the tradition of local cousin. The daily diet in the altiplano region is heavily based on potatoes, rice, some vegetables, and meat. Specialized diets (vegan, kosher, etc.) are difficult to maintain in this remote location. Vegetarians may attend but will find options fairly limited.         

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. Please plan to arrive in Juliaca by Sunday, June 23 2013.

Flying to Peru: Depending on your departure city, it is possible to fly directly to Lima, Peru from the United States. Some itineraries require a layover; when booking your ticket, please be sure that any stopover is at least 2 hours in duration to allow for delays (this is ESPECIALLY important when making international connections!).

Getting to Juliaca: We highly recommend that you fly from Lima to Juliaca. If you are flying on American Airlines or Lan Chile, you can book your flight to Juliaca on the same itinerary along with your international flight. Most flights to JUL are direct, though some have a stopover in Arequipa or Cusco. It is also possible to take a bus to Juliaca; however please be aware that this trip is very long (~24 hours) and requires numerous bus changes. The cost is about the same as flying. For safety reasons and time constraints, we do not recommend this.

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.  For further information, please consult the U.S. State Department website here.

HEALTH ISSUES:

For specific information regarding travel health issues pertinent to Peru, 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 at this time.