Pukara Archaeological Project
Peru
Summer 2010
Accommodations
Pucará, Peru
During the work week, students will be housed in the town of Pucará, a short walk from the archaeological site of Pukara. Accommodations will be either in the residence of the Pukara Museum or in a local home rented by the project. Housing is very basic, with shared bathrooms and dorm-style bedrooms.
Puno, Peru
Students will spend the first week of the program and weekends in the city of Puno, located about 2 hours from the archaeological site of Pukara. Accommodations will be in the Hotel Tambo Real Titicaca, a very comfortable and secure hotel with an English-speaking owner. Students will stay in double and triple rooms with private bathrooms and portable heaters. In Puno there is access to internet, good restaurants, and plenty of activities for the weekends.
LIVING IN THE HIGH ANDES
The town of Puno is at an elevation of 12,500 feet above sea level. To put this in perspective, the highest city in the US is Leadville, Colorado, at 10,430 feet and Denver is a mere 5400 feet above sea level. Most people adapt quickly to living at high elevation, which requires drinking lots of fluids, avoiding alcohol, and taking things more slowly. However, some health complications may arise at altitude, especially for people with certain medical conditions. During the 15 years I have worked in Peru, I have seen only one case of severe altitude sickness and it was an older adult in poor physical health. If you have any concerns, please do read up on altitude sickness and discuss any questions you have with the project director. In the case of severe reactions to the altitude, you will be taken to a clinic, put on oxygen, and evacuated to lower elevations as quickly as possible.
Along with high elevation comes cold weather. We will be in Peru during the dry season, which is their winter. During the day it is bright and sunny, but at night the temperatures can drop below freezing. Students are required to bring very warm sleeping bags, a winter jacket, layers of clothing, and warm shoes or boots. Wool products like sweaters, scarves, and hats are available everywhere in highland Peru, but warm jackets made of down or wind resistant materials are tougher to find.
Meals
Monday through Friday, breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided by the program. Students are responsible for their weekend meals.
Please let us know when you apply for this program if you have special dietary needs, as well as any medical or physical conditions. It is difficult to accommodate vegetarian diets in rural Peru. We will advise you accordingly.
Excursions
This program has limited free time for independent sightseeing. During the first week of classes, students will visit archaeological sites near Puno (e.g. Sillustani, Chucuito) and there is one weekend trip to the Islands of Taquile, Uros and Amantani included in the cost of the program. The project faculty will be happy to make suggestions for independent travel within Peru (e.g. Machu Picchu and Cuzco) either before or after the field program.