A Lesson in Applied Archaeology
Table of Contents- Part I: Introduction
- Part 2: Recreating Raised Field Agriculture
- Part 3: Implications of the Research
- The Politics of Agriculture
- The Future of Applied Archaeology
- The Downside of Applied Archaeology
- Future Projects
- Spanish Language Version, Alvaro Higueras
The Future of Applied Archaeology
The landscape around Lake Titicaca is so covered with the remains of large-scale pre-Columbian farming and settlements that that it can be considered totally "anthropogenic" or human-created. It is ironic that the groups promoting the Green Revolution had to destroy ancient agricultural fields, to introduce the appropriate technology and the capital-intensive farming practices. The raised field rehabilitation project provided what at the time appeared to be a radical alternative—a time-tested agricultural technology that was actually indigenous to the region. The results of the experimental raised fields demonstrated to us that labor costs over the long term were low, harvests were bountiful, production was sustainable, and the technology could be managed at the individual family and community level using available tools and traditional means of organizing labor. Mother’s Clubs organized by a local priest and development agencies sponsored by leftist political parties began their own raised field programs by 1982. The local university got involved in the research and many agronomy and social science students did thesis research on raised fields. Certain intellectuals in the government of Alan Garcia during the late 80s actively promoted traditional Andean agriculture as an alternative to imported agricultural practices. Our project participated as consultants for a large experimental raised field plot installed at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agronomic Research Station outside Puno in 1985. In 1986, my colleagues Oswaldo Rivera and Alan Kolata began a well-funded rehabilitation project in Bolivia. By 1989, raised field rehabilitation had become part of the development programs 15 major institutions. Two well-established groups, PIWA of Peru and PROSUKO of Bolivia, are still actively promoting raised field rehabilitation and research.The success you’ve seen in Peru and Bolivia seems to suggest numerous possibilities for "applied archaeology." Could you describe some of the potential benefits and pitfalls?
I’ve always believed that archaeology has relevance and that it could be applied. That doesn’t mean that all archaeology must have an applied component. Most of the applied contribution is at a basic level. Most of my colleagues are very dedicated to the local communities where they conduct fieldwork and where they teach. Most do some form of public outreach in communities—as public relations to promote their projects and archaeology in general and to give something back to the people who permit and support archaeological research.
