Excerpts from 2004 Field Notes

July 13, 2004: Akapana Pyramid
by Jose Maria Lopez Bejarano

We began excavating west of the Akapana to confirm the presence of certain anomalies detected by the ground-penetrating radar during the 2002 field season. The results of the geographical survey had led us to believe that a plaza existed very close to the Akapana pyramid, and we thought there was a series of large structures in the western sector. However, what we are finding now makes it seem more probable that this was a domestic zone.

The area we are excavating has hearths and well-made floors where we are finding mostly faunal remains and utilitarian domestic ceramics. There are also stone foundations where adobe walls were constructed on various levels, separating the domestic from the ceremonial.

Donna Yates found a figurine in her unit this week. What makes this artifact special is that it is an Amazonian piece found in a domestic context high in the altiplano. It was most likely part of a bowl. We've identified it as Amazonian, because it has eyes shaped like coffee beans.

We know that Donna's unit is domestic, because she has found manos (used for grinding grain and food production), animal bones, hearths, and a floor. She commented that "it's crazy to find a domestic context in the monumental core." What is even crazier is to find an Amazonian artifact there!

We will continue testing the geophysical anomalies for the rest of this season.


August 3: Archaeoastronomy
by Leonardo Benitez

My work this season was geared toward confirming or disproving many of the celestial alignments attributed to Tiwanaku's monumental architecture, and I primarily focused on the semi-subterranean temple and the Kalasasaya. My preliminary conclusion is that a semi-subterranean temple built around 100 B.C. was oriented to stellar alignments, in particular the Southern Cross and Antares (or Korikala in Aymara), the brightest star of the Scorpio constellation.

The Kalasasaya, as has been identified by earlier archaeoastronomical work, does appear to have been a temple oriented to the movements of the sun. The architectural remains of the temple pinpoint the solstices, equinoxes, zenith, and nadir passages with astonishing accuracy. However, the most interesting alignment I recorded this season was that the pillars of the Kalasasaya's western balcony wall appear to mark a solar calendar based on the setting positions of the sun.


August 3, 2004: Akapana Pyramid--Geophysical
by Alison Peters

Most of our excavation units on the west side of the Akapana Pyramid were placed in a specific location according to the ground-penetrating radar data and correspond to subsurface anomalies of particular interest to us based on their form and location. Units L-5, L-6, and L-7, however, were not put in based on the GPR. With these units, we were attempting to locate a plaza floor or walls not apparent in the data. Our reason for their placement was the way the grass grew in over the past two years since we cleared it for the GPR collection. A rectangular depression was visible from above, and we thought that this could possibly indicate the presence of a plaza.

The rest of our excavation west of the Akapana is based on the results of the ground-penetrating radar. We began unit L-8 over a linear north-south running feature that appears in multiple slices of the GPR data. We determined that this reflection source was a wall, probably either colonial or republican, and is likely unrelated to the Tiwanaku culture. Another deeper anomaly corresponds to a domestic floor and a pile of rocks that are not in situ.

Unit L-9 was placed over an area believed to correspond to a monumental structure south of the Putuni. A rectangular depression is visible from the surface, and the radar showed very strong reflections in a rectangular shape roughly 50 by 70 meters. The unit was approximately in the center of what would be the eastern wall of this structure. Tiwanaku architecture, such as the Kalasasaya and the Putuni, has a history of having entrances in the center of the eastern wall. We put L-9 here with the hope that an entrance to this previously unexcavated structure could be uncovered. This unit yielded monumental architecture in situ and construction fill that may be associated with a platform. We encountered a tile floor in the southwest corner of L-9, and we started unit L-11 in an attempt to follow this feature. Unit L-14 was put in an area we believe is the northwest corner of this monumental feature. We've uncovered construction fill in this unit, and there are interesting soil changes that are possibly associated with the GPR data. We need more investigation to confirm the exact origin of the radar reflections.

The GPR data shows an intersection of two linear features in the southeast corner of the monumental structure associated with units L-9 and L-11. We positioned L-10 to investigate the source of this reflection. It contains a large amount of cobbles, pebbles, llama bones, and ceramics. This feature is very thick and dense, which we can see in the radar data. There is possibly more of this feature or another unrelated feature below this level, and we'll see which in the coming weeks. A portion of what was originally believed to be the same feature was excavated during the 2002 season. If this is part of the same, we expect based on the radar data to find another feature at a greater depth.

We placed L-12 to investigate what appeared to be a smaller, possible domestic structure southwest of the Akapana. This unit has yielded linear walls and a tile floor that correspond nicely with the GPR data. L-12 has since been expanded to the north to follow the reflections and to find the end of the walls.

L-15 was started after the success of L-12. So far this unit has what appears to be later architecture not associated with Tiwanaku. Even so, the walls are in the exact location we expected them to be.