Preparation for the fieldwork and Tiwanaku

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Camisaki (Hello in Aymara)!

It’s been over a week since we last blogged because we have been so busy here! We just got back from “el campo” (the field) two days ago and we have a lot to say.

We left off two days before we left for the remote Apolobamba region of La Paz, Bolivia in the Bautista Saavedra Province of La Paz (northeast of Lake Titicaca). Before leaving, Laura and I went to the MUSEF (Museo de Etno-Folkloria) to do some research on the Kallawayas and meet with Majo’s prior anthropology professor for some tips on what to do in the field. This guy was awesome. He had studied and taught at Harvard, Columbia, and Yale, among other top tier American universities! And on top of that he was very knowledgeable and a good contact to acquire (if my documentary works out, he may be able to help get a worthwhile speaker to come to Dartmouth, perhaps through the club Pro-Latinoamerica that I’m involved with at school -Laura). After the museum, Laura and I caught cheap lunch (full 3 course meal and fantas that came out to about 4 dollars each!) in San Miguel and were confused when the waiter asked us to sign the bill that we paid with cash. Here, families sign most purchases with their names and a certain number in order to get tax right-offs. It’s an interesting system that makes good sense.

We had dinner in Calle Serganega (popular downtown street filled with tourist travel information, artisan vendors, and a witch’s market, including llama fetuses and other things used in rituales) at Alexander Café. I ordered the “Andina” wrap which was filed with quinoa, a grain that is grown in the Andes mountains. They were attempting to integrate the natural foods of the region that Bolivians had cultivated for thousands of years into a modern day meal. It tasted pretty much like nothing but it was a novelty so I had to try it.

The next day, Laura and I were lucky enough to have our own personal chauffer and guide take us to the former capital of the Tiwanaku civilization, a site of ancient ruins that pre-date the Incans (also the Kallawayas have recently been genetically linked as the descendants of the Tiwanaku people). We captured some useful footage for Laura’s project there. The ruins have many interesting details that reveal how advanced the Tiwanaku civilization was with architecture, astronomy, religion, and hierarchal society. For example, probably the most famous structure at the site is the Puerta del Sol (Sun Door), which is adorned with symbols worshipping the sun gods, and which is also perfectly positioned so that the solar eclipse aligns directly through the gate and into their ceremonial area. There are still plenty of archaeological digs being conducted to reveal more about the culture, which most notably prove that a lot of the knowledge that has been attributed to the Incan empire was actually well formed hundreds of years earlier at Tiwanaku. For more information on Tiwanaku, visit the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwanaku.

The following morning, we met with the assistant to the director of the Protected Areas (where we were going for the field research) in order to plan our trip to Apolobamba. After, we interviewed a girl from Nena’s husband (Yurgin)’s office in order to inquire her on her knowledge of the region and the Kallawaya people (she also had researched their culture).

At noon, we were off to Lake Titicaca for some hardcore vacation time. With our guide and new friend Ilario (who also spoke Aymara- one of the two main native languages in Bolivia the other being Quechua), we boarded a local bus to Copacabana.
Much more to come about the beautiful Lake Titicaca, the field research working close with the Kallawaya healers, and our fun nights out in Copacabana and La Paz. For now, we are off to lunch with some family!

<3

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