Museo Charcas

This painting of a camel (that is what they call it, but it is more likely meant to be a llama!) was found in a cave in the surroundings of Sucre and is probably 1500 years old. It is one of rock paintings on display in the Charcas Museum along with mummies and artefacts of the Prehispanic periods. My first job for the museum is to write English texts with the displays, which hopefully will attract more visitors. It also gives me the chance to become acquainted with the local cultures before we start undertaking fieldwork. I work with Edmundo and Maximo (Mimo) who have learned the tricks of the trade in the field from foreign archaeologists (from Argentinia for example) as courses in archaeology are rare. The first University Department in Archaeology was only established in 1982 in La Paz. Archaeology is still very much a luxury and people tend to go for subjects such as law and medicine to secure their future (probably the way things will go in the UK with the current loan system).