The second week of digging, another girl, Christina and I moved units to work on a burial because we both have taken a Human Osteology class and therefore have experience with bones.
So, here’s the deal with this tomb/burial. It was –apparently- first excavated last season. However, whoever was doing the excavation, didn’t have time to complete it before the end of the field season, so they essentially threw the bones into a pile, and covered it up until the next field season. Also, a giant tree root disrupted the burial. This is what is called a secondary burial, AND an example of BAD archaeology. A unit containing a burial, or any unit, for that matter, should never be left partially excavated. That’s just horrible professionalism. And leaving the bones in the condition in which I found them is completely disrespectful of the interred individual.
The following are my archaeological field notes for the Inca burial I excavated.
July 14, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 3
Unidad: 14
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators:, Meg, Christina, Jose
We cordoned off a square unit where the tomb is suspected to be located. We drew a picture of the surface layer, measuring various rock/plant points in the unit. We then removed one inch of the surface layer.
We then ran into a problem. We “hit” the metal covering of the tomb, but it was in the NE corner of the unit, not in the middle like it was believed to be. Then, it was also brought to our attention that there was a second burial nearby to the NE of the first burial unit, and directly at the base of some large Wacca stones. The 2nd burial is extremely shallow, and a portion of the cranium was visible. It has been extensively broke – more like pulverized ; small cranial fragments litter the area surrounding the cranium. The nature of the burial is unknown (i.e. whether it’s been disturbed, partially/poorly excavated). We then had to extend our unit out 50cm N and 50cm E. We then began removing the surface layer surrounding the believed tomb “entrance”
We found several large pottery shards and several bone fragments while excavating the superficial layer. This does not bode well for the possibility that this burial hasn’t been disturbed.
July 15, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 3
Unidad: 14
Excavators : Meg, Christina, Jose
We began by cleaning up the profile and leveling the unit off to the level of the metal circular tomb covering. NE of the tome cover, we uncovered a piece of wood, 2x4in that appeared to extend underneath the metal cover – likely for structural support - We also found several bone fragments, 8 fragments – 2 of which were identified as cranial. Potshards were also unearthed. Once all the loose dirt surrounding the tomb cover in our unit had been cleared away, we slowly lifted the circular cover off from the east end to the west end and lifted it off.
There were 3 stones visible on the edge of the tomb cover. It was unclear whether or not the stones were structural or placed there by the peple who discovered the burial last field season and placed them there for support. The wood went all the way under across the diameter of the tome. We lifted that off and discovered that more stones lined the matrix of the burial in a well shape.
We began slowly scraping through the moist dirt. A canine tooth was uncovered and I uncovered several bone fragments and a tooth. The tooth is either a premolar. The tomb is filled with a lot of clay that is a mauve-y colour and yellow and green. A metacarpal was found and several bone fragments after lunch.
July 16, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 3
Unidad: 14
Excavators: Meg, Christina, Jose
We began by cleaning the sifted dirt from around the tomb, which had been placed over the tomb as a cover for the night. We then took a picture of the tomb as it was left yesterday afternoon. The next task is to section off a smaller portion of the unitl, so it just surrounds the tomb.
Task 4: we will remove the wood chunks and rocks lining the tomb, as they are not Inca construction, but were placed there last field season after the bones were discovered. We removed all the man-placed rocks. On the N end, there appears to be natural rocks, we have left it in place and have decided to excavate around it, as it might be part of the original structure of the Inca tomb. -→ interpretation
A plastic bag was placed over the bones from last field season, in some terribly poor attempt to shield the bones from the elements. It has filled with compact clay. This has made removal of the bag difficult and lsow since several bone fragments are lying directly underneath the plastic bag.
We continued to widen the circular pit created by the contemporary stones, and found many bone fragments in the matrix of the pit.
The compact cay is moist and has a mauve tint to it. We were able to unearth a significant amount to loosen the bag and place less stress on the underlying bones. We then ended for the day and covered the bones.
July 17th, 2009 - Friday
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 3
Unidad: 14
Excavators: Meg, Christina, Jose
We continued to attempt to remove the plastic bag sitting atop the pile of bones. I removed the first bag, and we realized that there were a total of 3 bags used to cover the bones.
The soil surrounding the bones is very moist and compact, mostly due to the extensive clay deposits surrouding the bone and on the layer above the bones. We were able to – after loosening the clay and expanding the matrix of the pit – remove all 3 pieces of the plastic bags.
LIST OF IDENTIFIED BONE FRAGMENTS FOUND [AS IS] IN THE BURIAL PIT:
1. proximal end of a Tibia
2. distal end of a right femur
3. proximal phalange
4. 2 distal phalanges
5. cranial bones (4 visible)
6. 2 mandible fragments
7. Left Maxilla
8. possible head of a femur (fragment)
9.transverse process of thoracic vertebra
Friday, July 31, 2009
First week of Digging
July 6- 10th
This was the first week of digging. We started by sectioning off 3 spaces for 3 trenches. One was 1x10m, and the other 2 were 1x5m. We prepared the units with levels, string, and plumb bobs. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but we were just setting up. We then took photos of the surface layer, and then promptly cleaned off the superficial layer. The units were oriented North to South. We were excavating at the Sacsaywaman Archaeological Park at the site, Qochapata. The Inca built a ceremonial edifice there, at the base of some sacred Wacca stones. The Peruvian team that has been working on that area for awhile had already uncovered a lot of the buildings of this plaza-like structure. So, it was really neat to be working right next to standing structures. Of the three units, 2 units were expected to contain part of an Inca wall. My unit was one of them.
Archaeology is a very slow process, tedious, and definitely not Indiana Jones-glamorous.
The following entries are the entries in my field notebook for the first week of digging. This will give you an idea of what we are expected to record, and the not-so-exciting finds of the superficial soil layers.
July 7 2009
• Today we excavated at Unit 3 of Qochapata in P.A.S., subsector 2. We prepared the unit, took pics, cleared vegetation and cleaned the superficial layer. The superficial layer of unit 3 is made of hard-packed clay with small rocks distributed equally. Unit 3 slopes from the N-S. A marking stick protrudes from the ground at meter 1. This stick was placed to mark a possible wall prior to excavations. In the NW portion of unit 3 there is an area of organic soil with hair coming out of the ground. In the S part of unit 3, two area of carbonous ground exist.
July 8, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
We begain excavating layer 1. Found a dark spot of dirt in NE corner of the unit. We found a small piece of carbon in the S section of the unit. Small, sharp rocks were found int eh SW corner. in the middle of the units we found a large section of very compact dirt; it was a lot like the surface soil. There are many roots in the midsection casuing the soil to become compact.
Artifacts found: carbonized plant, pottery shard.
July 9, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
First task: we begin by excavating level 1 and getting to the darker, softer dirt that was partially uncovered yesterday. We have to remove the compact laye of dirt still found in level 2 and remove all roots, which are believed to be the cause of the compact dirt portions we use large pick axes first. Layer one is very rocky.
Interpretation: the rocky layer coincides with a theory that possibly all the small, sharp rocks are flakes left over from stone-cutting when the Inca made the wall adjacent to our unitl. The roots are proving difficult to remove but we’re starting to make progress with the compact/rocky layer.
Task 2: In the south part of the unit are many small rock fragments. We are removing the small roots around the rocks and are going to uncover them ore but not unearth the rocks. We cleaned the unit and tooka photograph. Rocky inclusions are ine the North and South edges of the unit. After break, we removed large roots. They’re creating a hole in the Northern end of the unit. A noticeable soil change has emerged in the N corner of the unit; it’s much darker. Few rocks are in the NW corner of the trench.
We also found our first pottery shard, about 2inches in diameter.
(all of these entries include corresponding drawings of the trench)*****
July 10. 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
Today we excavated capa uno at unit 3 and removed compact dirt layer along the NW and NE corners of the unit. Surrounding our feature 1 – which is the dark, circular area of soft soil surrounding the marking stick – to see if this darker, softer dirt continues underneath. It really doesn’t. We created a border, demarcating the feature one form the rest of the unit. Potshards were found on the E edge of the middle section of the unit. We left them and excavated around them becaue there may possibly be a concentration in that area of the unit. A camelid bone was found in the S portion of the unit.
SOUTHERN SECTION: I found an interesting small mound of unfired clay and black organic matter. This led to the discovery of the compact, fine, most Southern part of the unit, and how it slopes down significantly into the soft, dark soil I uncovered. I followed the slope of this hard layer 1 down into the soft soil and leveled it out for the day. It might have been a compact walking surface.
This was the first week of digging. We started by sectioning off 3 spaces for 3 trenches. One was 1x10m, and the other 2 were 1x5m. We prepared the units with levels, string, and plumb bobs. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but we were just setting up. We then took photos of the surface layer, and then promptly cleaned off the superficial layer. The units were oriented North to South. We were excavating at the Sacsaywaman Archaeological Park at the site, Qochapata. The Inca built a ceremonial edifice there, at the base of some sacred Wacca stones. The Peruvian team that has been working on that area for awhile had already uncovered a lot of the buildings of this plaza-like structure. So, it was really neat to be working right next to standing structures. Of the three units, 2 units were expected to contain part of an Inca wall. My unit was one of them.
Archaeology is a very slow process, tedious, and definitely not Indiana Jones-glamorous.
The following entries are the entries in my field notebook for the first week of digging. This will give you an idea of what we are expected to record, and the not-so-exciting finds of the superficial soil layers.
July 7 2009
• Today we excavated at Unit 3 of Qochapata in P.A.S., subsector 2. We prepared the unit, took pics, cleared vegetation and cleaned the superficial layer. The superficial layer of unit 3 is made of hard-packed clay with small rocks distributed equally. Unit 3 slopes from the N-S. A marking stick protrudes from the ground at meter 1. This stick was placed to mark a possible wall prior to excavations. In the NW portion of unit 3 there is an area of organic soil with hair coming out of the ground. In the S part of unit 3, two area of carbonous ground exist.
July 8, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
We begain excavating layer 1. Found a dark spot of dirt in NE corner of the unit. We found a small piece of carbon in the S section of the unit. Small, sharp rocks were found int eh SW corner. in the middle of the units we found a large section of very compact dirt; it was a lot like the surface soil. There are many roots in the midsection casuing the soil to become compact.
Artifacts found: carbonized plant, pottery shard.
July 9, 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
First task: we begin by excavating level 1 and getting to the darker, softer dirt that was partially uncovered yesterday. We have to remove the compact laye of dirt still found in level 2 and remove all roots, which are believed to be the cause of the compact dirt portions we use large pick axes first. Layer one is very rocky.
Interpretation: the rocky layer coincides with a theory that possibly all the small, sharp rocks are flakes left over from stone-cutting when the Inca made the wall adjacent to our unitl. The roots are proving difficult to remove but we’re starting to make progress with the compact/rocky layer.
Task 2: In the south part of the unit are many small rock fragments. We are removing the small roots around the rocks and are going to uncover them ore but not unearth the rocks. We cleaned the unit and tooka photograph. Rocky inclusions are ine the North and South edges of the unit. After break, we removed large roots. They’re creating a hole in the Northern end of the unit. A noticeable soil change has emerged in the N corner of the unit; it’s much darker. Few rocks are in the NW corner of the trench.
We also found our first pottery shard, about 2inches in diameter.
(all of these entries include corresponding drawings of the trench)*****
July 10. 2009
Sitio: P.A.S.
Sector: Qochapata
Subsector: 2
Unidad: 3
Capa (layer) 1
Excavators: Buzz, Meg, John, Christina
Today we excavated capa uno at unit 3 and removed compact dirt layer along the NW and NE corners of the unit. Surrounding our feature 1 – which is the dark, circular area of soft soil surrounding the marking stick – to see if this darker, softer dirt continues underneath. It really doesn’t. We created a border, demarcating the feature one form the rest of the unit. Potshards were found on the E edge of the middle section of the unit. We left them and excavated around them becaue there may possibly be a concentration in that area of the unit. A camelid bone was found in the S portion of the unit.
SOUTHERN SECTION: I found an interesting small mound of unfired clay and black organic matter. This led to the discovery of the compact, fine, most Southern part of the unit, and how it slopes down significantly into the soft, dark soil I uncovered. I followed the slope of this hard layer 1 down into the soft soil and leveled it out for the day. It might have been a compact walking surface.
July 5 2009 - Crazy horseback riding
July 5 2009
Today we went horseback riding. A group of about 13 went. It started with a pick up truck coming to the villa door, expecting only a few passengers…so, we hopped into the cab and took an exciting and slightly terrifying ride up the mountain to Q’enko, where the horses were waiting for us. Q’enko is near Sacsaywaman. The pickup could barely get us up the mountain!
When we finally got there, we waited around for a bit and finally were let to the horses. These were some horses, too. They were definitely not excited to be where they were, and most were wearing questionable saddles.
My horse, was too small for me really, and looked anorexic.
Finally, everyone got there horse and we started off, we were literally on the horses for 3 minutes when the guide, who was following on foot, told us to get off; we had come to the first (and only one we saw) ruin site, The Temple of the Moon. After wandering around for 5min, we got back on the horses, and basically toured the Sacsaywaman Archaeological Park for 2 more hours. My horse and another girl’s horse were trouble. My horse’s name, I found out toward the end of the ride, was Solitario (Solitary one). For most of the ride, I was a good 50 meters ahead of everyone else…hence the horse’s name. If my horse wasn’t in front, it started biting the other horses to push to the front… not the nicest of creatures. The other problem horse was Johanna’s. Hers, ironically named Sunflower, decided to trailblaze most of the time, plowing over small bushes and tearing off up the mountain and off the trail. It was extremely entertaining to watch as she had absolutely no control over this horse. The guides were fairly absent for the trip…occasionally tearing through bushes and trees at a run to prevent us from going the wrong way. Mostly I was alone, with my horse Solitario, in the lead, where he liked to be. It was definitely fun, and for $10US, totally worth it. Another girl, Kim, had a horse, she named SeaBiscuit, who would poop, and then turn around and eat his poop. EW. So, those were the kind of horses we were on. Haha. Definitely an adventure of a horseback ride.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fourth of July in Peru
Hello Dear Readers,
So, last Saturday was the 4th of July, and we American did not miss the chance to celebrate & represent the USA abroad! On of the guys in my group, Colten, organized the entire party. We had, as you can see from the pictures, Red,white, and blue streamers, balloons, flowers, tablecloths, etc. We even had an American flag! (which is still hang in the courtyard.)
Colten was also able to find a Piñata in the shape of a mug of Cusquena, which is their local beer.
Another group of students in a Geomatics program that Alexei is also associated with arrived today, so it was a great way to introduce ourselves to all of them. Now the mansion is full.
We BBQ'd hot dogs and burgers, and had soda and a cake in the shape of an American flag!
Colten, had to draw a diagram of the USA flag, labeling the correct colors and # of stars in spanish so they would get it right. That's some patriotism! We had a blast, it was a great day to meet new people and be American. There were even some famous South American Archaeologists that are Alexei's colleagues that came! The owner of the mansion, Mercedes, even bought us Sparklers! Unfortunately we didn't have any other exciting fireworks, but we all enjoyed ourselves very much.
Elena
So, this is just too cute of a picture to not upload.
The little girl in the picture is Elena. She is the niece of someone who works at the mansion. She is adorable and the cutest girl in Peru; we've all decided that. The guy is Aaron, he's a member of my archaeological group.
Doesn't she look like Boo from Monster's Inc. ?
A Quick Synopsis
Hello Dear Readers,
It's been awhile. I'll try include all I can.
So, last Sunday, the 28th several of us plus Alexei hiked up to the 2 sites by Sacsayhuamán. One was a ritual site, which is being worked on by some Peruvians, and had what is thought to be a temple there. Then we hiked to el Balcon de Diablo, which is another Incan site that we are supposed to be utilizing. It was beautiful. There's a giant cave with a stream running through, and no one has looked at it. We went exploring through the cave, came out the other side, and could see an Incan aquaduct carved into the rock! It was pretty fantastic.
Monday the 29th, nothing really happened. It was a holiday ( the Peruvians love their holidays) so we just hung out around the mansion & cusco.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we were at a Convent in Cusco. It's been renovated by teenagers, and they've turned it into a school. There were 3 projects that the students there were working on that we could also work on : stoneworking, woodworking, and restoration.
Tuesday I was with the woodworkers. It was definitely interesting and fun, but also a lot more difficult that I thought it could be. I made three designs out of 3x1 pieces of wood.
Wednesday, I worked the Art Restoration. I worked on a statue that had 4 layers of paint on it. Blue, white, gold, and red. When the Jesuits had possession of the monestery, they decided that gold was, essentially, sacreligious and painted over the gold statues. The picture I've included is of these golds statues that have been restored. My job was, using a scapel and a yellow goo to help lift the paint off, to remove the blue layer and get to the white layer of paint. I was to stop there, so as not to scratch off any gold, or worse, scrape too deeply and hit the intermost red layer. It was a painstaking process. I sat for hours chipping microscopic blue bits of paint off. I did enjoy it. We also cleaned 17th paintings. This was also a slow process. A small part was sectioned off, and using water-based solution and a stick with a cotton ball wrapped around it, we slowly wiped in a circular fashion to get the dirt off. And that was my week until July 3rd.
My next post will be about the weekend. Stay tuned.
Over and out.
Meg
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