Hello and welcome to WCC’s Peru Study Abroad Blog!
My name is Erin Fedeson, and I am one of the Washtenaw Community College students who is going on the 2015 Peru trip. I am able to do this by taking Dr. Christopher Barrett’s ANT 164: Bioarchaeology and Culture of Peru class offered at WCC during the spring/summer term. While the group is a combination of WCC’s Radiography and Anthropology students, this blog will primarily focus on Anthropology. The goal for those in ANT 164 is to collect data from the skeletal and dental remains of the Chiribaya Baja and Roca Verde people.
Most of our work will be at Centro Mallqui in Ilo, Peru where Dr. Sonia Guillén is the center’s director. WCC has been traveling down to Peru over the course of 15 years at Dr. Guillén’s invitation, helping the researchers collect data to answer questions about the people living in the area. While collecting reliable data is a priority, we are also in Peru to experience its culture and understand its rich prehistoric heritage.
To accomplish these goals, we will spend a little less than two weeks in class in what is known as “Bone Boot Camp.” The class focuses on learning how to lay out the skeleton, identify and measures bones and teeth, and record the results. It also focuses on the history and culture of the people whose remains we will be studying.
On May 24th we will fly down to Peru and work for two weeks on collecting data from the remains kept at Centro Mallqui. During that time, we will also have the experience of visiting Cuzco and Machu Picchu. The hope for the blog is to give those unfamiliar with WCC’s Peru trip a glimpse into the prep work my classmates and I do prior to the trip and our experiences in Peru.
Thank you and please stay tuned for more from WCC’s Peru Study Abroad Blog!