Museology Project with Archaeological Materials
La Plata Natural History Museum, Argentina
August 3 - September 6, 2008
La Plata Natural History Museum was founded over 150 years ago and the building was completed in 1884. It is considered the most important natural history museum in Latin America. Its archaeological collections are representative of a wide range of South American cultures. The Muñiz Barreto Collection serves as the core of the museum collection, with approximately 2,000 pieces. The collection has expanded to include over 12,000 items, representing the best pieces in modern Argentinean archaeology. Students will have the opportunity to work on an ongoing research project on northwestern Argentinean archaeology with direct involvement in laboratory duties. In addition to work with archaeological pieces at the museum, students will travel to northwest Argentina to visit the sites where objects were excavated from both funerary and habitation contexts. As part of their research work, students will learn how to manufacture pottery vessels and lithic instruments so they better understand how to identify diverse manufacturing techniques.