Here are a few slides and text rom my trip to Hualcáyan Peru in August of 2013. The purpose of the trip was to explore some potential collaboration between Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológico Regional Ancash (PIARA) (www.piaraperu.org) and students at the University of Memphis and the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

1. 2013
Trip
to
Hualcáyan,
Peru
in
collabora8on
with
Proyecto
de
Inves8gación
Arqueológico
Regional
Ancash
(PIARA).

2. In
August
of
2013,
I
traveled
to
Hualcáyan,
Perú.
The
village,
with
a
popula8on
of
about
400,
is
located
in
the
department
of
Ancash
at
about
3200
meters
(10,500
feet)
above
sea
level
in
the
Cordillera
Blanca
Mountain
Range
northeast
of
Lima,
Perú.
The
purpose
of
the
trip
was
to
inves8gate
the
poten8al
for
collabora8ve
projects
between
PIARA,
students
in
the
Museum
Studies
Graduate
Cer8ficate
Program
at
the
University
of
Memphis,
and
the
C.H.
Nash
Museum
at
Chucalissa
in
Memphis
Tennessee,
U.S.

3. AVer
a
10
hour
bus
ride
from
Lima,
I
spent
the
night
in
Caraz
at
about
2200
masl
acclima8ng
to
the
increased
eleva8on.

4. The
village
of
Hualcáyan
was
founded
in
the
early
1980s.
The
400
residents
primarily
work
in
agriculture
and
raise
livestock.

5. The
first
night
in
the
village
the
new
arrivals
were
treated
to
a
dinner
of
rabbit
and
sweet
potatoes.

6. Haulcáyan
is
situated
in
a
complex
of
prehistoric
archaeological
features
that
span
4000
years
of
human
occupa8on
of
the
region.
The
open
field
in
the
foreground
is
where
the
village
plays
soccer.
The
linear
features
on
the
hillside
in
the
background
are
prehistoric
agricultural
terraces.

7. The
structure
shown
here
is
a
chulpa.
The
interior
contains
four
separate
chambers
used
for
burials
in
prehistory.
At
this
chulpa
and
most
others
in
the
region,
the
mummified
human
remains
and
burial
offerings
were
looted
long
ago.

8. The
Hualcáyan
archaeological
features
also
includes
a
complex
series
of
prehistoric
mounds
that
that
were
rebuilt
and
expanded
over
8me.
A
second
mound
is
visible
in
the
background.

9. PIARA
has
conducted
field
excava8ons
at
Hualcáyan
for
several
years
drawing
on
students
from
throughout
the
United
States
and
Peru.

10. A
cri8cal
component
of
PIARA’s
work
is
the
economic,
educa8onal
and
cultural
heritage
development
for
the
village.
Some
of
the
collabora8ve
projects
with
PIARA
will
draw
on
the
student
skills
and
training
opportuni8es
at
the
University
of
Memphis.
On
August
3rd
of
this
year,
PIARA
organized
the
first
ever
Cultural
Heritage
Fes8val
in
Hualcáyan.
The
fes8val
was
a`ended
by
area
residents,
students
from
the
Na8onal
University
of
Ancash,
and
the
press,
some
who
drove
over
three
hours
to
a`end.

11. PIARA
provided
many
ac8vi8es
for
the
children
such
as
making
masks.

13. AVer
a
religious
service
opening
the
fes8val,
numerous
speakers
brought
gree8ngs
and
spoke
of
the
significance
of
Hualcáyan’s
cultural
heritage.
Elizabeth
Cruzado
Carranza
(5th
from
right)
and
Rebecca
Bria
(4th
from
right)
the
Directors
of
PIARA
were
featured
speakers.

14. Four
different
tradi8onal
dance
groups
performed.

15. And
a
band
played
well
into
the
night
.
.
.

16. In
addi8on
to
a
tour
of
the
field
excava8ons,
a
“pop-­‐up”
museum
exhibited
ar8facts
recovered
in
the
past
few
field
seasons.
Although
intended
to
be
on
exhibit
for
the
single
day
of
fes8val,
residents
con8nued
to
visit
the
temporary
museum
the
following
day
as
well.

17. PIARA
Director
Rebecca
Bria
explains
the
culture
history
of
the
Hualcáyan
site
to
the
municipal
leader
of
the
village
and
a
news
reporter
from
Caraz.

18. PIARA
Director
Elizabeth
Cruzado
Carranza
shows
preserved
tex8les
to
village
residents.

19. The
designs
and
effigy
forms
of
ceramic
vessels
were
of
par8cular
interest
to
Hualcáyan
residents.

20. For
many
area
residents,
the
pop-­‐
up
museum
was
the
first
8me
they
came
to
understand
Hualcáyan’s
ceramic
vessels
and
mummified
human
remains
as
something
more
than
commodi8es
they
could
sell
to
offset
their
poverty.
Village
leaders
have
expressed
an
interest
in
developing
a
permanent
museum
and
cultural
center
in
the
village.
PIARA
has
set
a
goal
of
developing
both
the
preserva8on
and
presenta8on
of
the
village’s
cultural
heritage
for
local
residents
and
the
tourists
who
use
Hualcáyan
as
a
star8ng
point
for
adventure
hiking
through
the
adjacent
Na8onal
Park.

21. When
it
came
8me
on
the
Fes8val
Day
to
christen
the
new
library
that
PIARA
purchased
and
organized,
the
power
in
the
town
was
out
so
the
loudspeaker
could
not
announce
the
event.
Instead,
the
band
played
on
and
led
the
way
as
the
people
followed,
like
a
Second
Line
Parade
in
New
Orleans,
Louisiana!

22. The
band
played
and
the
people
danced.

23. Followed
by
the
ribbon
cujng
on
the
new
shelves
of
library
books
and
computer
sta8on
organized
and
funded
by
PIARA.

24. A
tremendous
improvement
over
the
old
classrooms
at
the
school.

25. I
look
forward
to
a
return
trip
in
2014
.
.
.
Follow
my
blog
at:
rcnnolly.wordpress.com
for
updates
on
the
project
and
visit
PIARA
at
www.piaraperu.org