Saludos de Ascot

Queridos amigos en Bolivia,

Aqui estamos otra vez en Inglaterra. Era difficil acostumbrarnos; tanta gente en todos partes, tanto trafico y un cielo tan gris; para tres semanas casi no vimos el sol. Pero era lindo ver nuestra familia y amigos aqui. Hora los chicos estan en la escuela despues las vacaciones de verano. Pobre Laurenzo no pudo volver a su vieja escuela porque no tenia espacio y hora va a otra escuela con su bicicleta cada manana. Bonno esta sonando de volver a Bolivia y tocar una guitarra electrica (entonces no hay cambio). Mucho besos de nosotros aqui, Laurenzo, Bonno, Diura y Henry.

Las photos: el mar en Holanda, Lorenzo y su bicicleta, Bonno en la puerta.

Perdon no encontre las letras y acentos de Espagnol!

Thank you!

Many thanks to all of our team members of the Zudañez project! There were discomforts (hard matrasses, bumpy, dusty, bus rides, bed bugs, flees, showers that didn´t work, vegetarian chicken soup, 6 hour walks to nowhere, verticality and vertigo, and violent stomach upsets to name a few) but we have found it absolutely fantastic as well and wish we were still there! Many thanks, Edmundo & Diura

Amazing

Three weeks in Zudañez have flown past and it was amazing! We concentrated in the first place on the rock plateau of Calle Calle, where we mapped an early settlement (probably BC) protected by a system of defensive walls. As this was a first season exploration was an important part of our work. Guided by information from the local communities and Edmundo´s previous investigations we recorded an amazing number of sites from a range of periods (approximately 1600 BC-1500 AD). Surrounding an Inca storage site with about 35 round food stores, for example, we discovered three settlements of a range of dates providing an interesting link between local cultures and the Incas. A real highlight was to record the rock art of Kaka Pintashka; two panels of paintings on the face of a vertical rock. Although this site was known to archaeologists before, it had never been documented in any detail. We saw human figures, a possible Supay (Andean spirit of fecundity), abstract motives such as a wheel, Christian crosses and a Colonial horse. This site is highly inaccessible and we walked for an hour, then scrambled up the rock with the help of some steps carved into the slope by our Bolivian companions. The effort involved in getting there probably added to the whole experience, it was like entering a prehistoric cathedral!

On the photos: vertical archaeology, recording rock art and some of the finds.

Zudañez Project: Calle Calle

At 3.1 km the mountain plateau of Calle Calle towers above the village of Zudañez. The ascend is steep an takes about one hour by jeep across dirt tracks. The top of Calle Calle consists of irregular rock formations separated by deep clefts. Here the prehispanic inhabitants built their settlement, possibly to seek refuge from belligerent neighbouring tribes. On some boulders rock paintings can be seen, as previously noted by Edmundo Salinas, who has been a regular visitor to the area for about 20 years. Burials are found at the foot of the rocks and a large concave area might have functioned as a water reservoir. Although these features are visible to the naked eye and clearly belonged to an important settlement they have never been documented. In July, with a group of students from London and Groningen and with the help of Zudañez Municipality, we are hoping to make a start. We´ll be mapping the settlement and exploring its relationship to surrounding landscape features. It is highly likely that once we start combing through the bushy terrain and its rocky outcrops, we will discover so far unknown traces of human habitation, such as defence walls.

In our preparatory exploration we were unable to access a part of Calle Calle known for its mummy deposits due to the state of the track. We are hoping to take a group of volunteers there in July as part of a hiking and camping expedition to undertake the necessary recording.

On the photos: Edmundo and Diura, Calle Calle from above and below.

Zudañez Project (2)

Along the River Zudañez lies a complex of 35 Inca storage buildings. Although their existence has been known to the local population and Edmundo Salinas for many years the site has never been properly recorded. As we ventured out to confirm its location we came across a possible settlement, cemetery and prehispanic road, all previously unknown. The wealth of archaeological features is just astonishing! In July we plan to focus on one area, probably Calle Calle, while undertaking reconnaissance work in the surroundings. The project is a collaboration with Zudañez Municipality, who will participate in all aspects of the work. After thorough analysis all materials (this means bits of pot, not treasure!) will be returned to Zudañez to form the basis of a museum. This is the first large scale archaeological project in the Chuquisaca Province and a matter of considerable pride. During our preparatory visit we spoke to many people, such as Internet and ice cream providers as well as hospital workers, and they are all very excited about receiving their visitors. The weather in Zudañez at the moment is bright and sunny, cold in the evening and morning (and on windy mountain plateaus) but hot in the middle of the day.

The photos show the preparatory team including Edmundo and members from Zudañez Council, a prehispanic road and the foundations of an Inca storage building.

Spot the visitors (2)

On May the 12th my parents arrived. They loved staying in Sucre, visited many museums and made day trips for example to Potosi. As they were interested in getting to know Zudanez where the archaeological project in July will take place, we all went for an expedition. Some people, however, got very distracted with a cock fight taking place on the "Plaza" of Zudanez. My father put a bet on one of the animals, although no one knew which one it was. Both animals survived and it was a draw to the disappointment of many. Not all was lost as the owner of the cocks returned all funds invested. He did think that a reward for this act of generosity was appropriate and the two went for a couple of beers afterwards. The slopes of Zudanez had never seemed so slippery!

Hooray he is eight!

Laurence celebrated a very special birthday around May the 13th. His grandparents from Holland arrived the day before and we all enjoyed a special meal in a beautiful orchard. All his friends from school were invited to his party, in which we danced and played games. Particularly successful was pass-the-parcel, which was a novelty here. Laurence is now the proud owner of a beautiful aquarium with a variety of little fishes. He really wanted something bigger and more cuddly, like a puppy. His parents, however, insisted that he should practice looking after an animal, after having had the experience of the guinea pigs being rejected after two weeks. If the fish survive we might move on to something bigger! His very favourite toy remains the game boy and he njoys looking after his very cute virtual pets.

Night of the Museums

A couple of months ago Edmundo, director of the Charcas Museum where I work, came up with the idea of organising a night in which all museums of Sucre would be open free of charge. The event was aimed in the first place at the inhabitants of Sucre who hardly visit museums, which is left to foreign tourists. The project was called "Night of the Museums; from Sunset to Sunrise" and over the last months we worked very hard to make it a success. I contributed a session in which visitors are encouraged to handle archaeological objects called "Prohibido no tocar" and materials to encourage children to explore the collection. Edmundo spend weeks talking to the press and visiting radio and television stations. In the week leading up to the 16th of May we were pretty nervous, wondering whether anyone would turn up. The start was slow. The choir who were supposed to open the night in grand style never turned up and half an hour after kick-off all the lights went out. Somehow things got going and we all got involved talking to visitors. After a while I noticed that the museum was getting full but it wasn´t until I looked out of the window that I realised the full extent. Henry was standing outside not being able to get through the crowds. Hordes of people queued up and the street was absolutely packed. There were people of all sorts of backgrounds, townies as well as camposinos (from the rural areas). They came to see the collections rather than to attend the special events, which were relatively poorly attended. It was absolutely amazing! How many people exactly visited the Charcas Museum that night we do not know, but it was certainly thousands!

The photos show the view from the window on the night of the 16th and preparations for the exhibition on colonial mummies.

Chiquitania

In the 18th century Jesuit missionaries founded a belt of settlements in the jungle between the Spanish and Portugese spheres of influence. Defended by their own armies they lived here with the indigenous population and installed a form of shared government. The indigenous population learned to worship, build and play violin and wear dresses and tunics. Whether they liked this or not we do not know but they were protected from slave traders. Together they built some stunningly beautiful churches in which local woodworking skills are amply displayed. After 200 years of decay the Jesuit churches were restored to their former glory and are now the venue of a fantastic Early Music Festival. Local dignitaries are prominently present during these performance in their seats of honour and in the traditional dresses and tunics as invented by the Jesuits. The performances are open for all to attend and walk out off and complemented by some heavily modernised ´traditional´ dances with electronic backup and hip swinging performed by the local youth.

Spot the visitors

In March two of Henry´s brothers, John and William, came to visit. William had a terrible time getting here. He spent three days changing tickets and planes, or waiting around airports without much sleep. When he finally got here he was given two hours to have a shower and unpack his bag and off we went for and Easter adventure. We headed in the direction of Macha for a taste of Bolivia beyond Sucre, which in many ways is like a southern European town. In one of the villages close to Macha a big festival was supposed to take place, if it hadn´t been postponed. Instead we explored the area surrounding the mining town of Pocoata. Up the steep hill slopes are several deserted mining settlements from colonial times or possibly before. In the modern village the inhabitants lost no time offering goods for sale such as the hats or ponchos they were wearing and I believe John and William went back with enough goods to last for many Christmases to come.

Henry hits Macha

Henrique Escobar is a phenomenon that only hits Macha every eight years, so when he appears you have to make the most of it. Macha has five competing song and dance Carnaval groups all desperate to secure Henry´s participation. This group managed to get him to carry the Carnaval mask as they danced around the streets. Already two feet higher than most people in Macha he stuck out even more; a welcome target for water bombs, flour bags and confetti that gets thrown around during Carnaval. Behind him is a boy-girl equipped with a wip just in case he would step out of line. "Where is the rest of the family?" you might wonder. Well they are a bit shorter which helps. Bonno did his father proud however by participating in the "Entrada" dressed as a Tinkuy warrior. In a place where people are worried about the decline of Quechua, this blond boy with some knowledge of the language was most welcome.

Visiting the compadres

Henry´s cumpadres in Kalankera had warmly invited us for Carnaval and one day we ventured out from Macha. As we reached the first huts people were preparing for the llama ear piercing ceremony and already generously pouring libations. Without any form of audience this family had dressed in their special Carnaval gear, which is a major investment, decorated the coral and performed the necessary ceremonies. Unfortunately the baby llamas were not quite ready and we could not stay long enough to watch the pinacle of the ceremony. We had brought all sorts of gifts including sea shells, as people have never seen the sea, which were gratefully received. This was the boys first experience of one of the poorest parts of the world and although they enjoyed many aspects of it the constant demands for more gifts was also very stressful.

Meeting the Sirens

To celebrate Carnaval we travelled to Macha, a small town far away from any mayor centres in the north of Potosi. As we crossed this deserted and often bleak landscape suddenly groups of people would suddenly appear out of nowhere. These were the Sirens. Dressed in extremely colourful dress and playing pinkillu flutes they danced their way to houses where someone had died during the previous year. As this is the time in which flowers and fruits come to flourish, signs of new life, their task is to help the souls of the departed to the other world. The Sirens would start at about 3pm and travel all night as communities are far spread.

On the road

After Bonno´s birthday it rained and rained for weeks. It got quite cold especially as houses here are not equipped with central heating or tumble driers. The east of Bolivia, which is the lower part, was and is particularly badly hit and many thousands of people are made homeless, crops and livestock destroyed. During this time we stayed mainly at home and worked on our various projects. One weekend we ventured out to Cochabamba for site seeing and work, and got stuck various times as the night bus came to a standstill. In several places avalances of mud and stone had come down the mountain slopes completely blocking the road. This is a major problem in Bolivia of which a large part is mountaineous with altitudes ranging from 300 to 5000m above sea level. Roads are unlikely to last more than five years. As a taxi driver commented: "You need to have God on your side to travel during the rainy season".

Bonno´s Birthday

On the 19th of January Bonno celebrated his 10th birthday; a milestone for all of us! He had a fabulous party with lots of friends, mainly from his music group. They turned up and disappeared at all sorts of times. We danced and played English party games, which everyone seemed to enjoy. Henry made a fantastic cake in the shape of a drum and panpipes, which was quite a novelty here. Instead of party bags the visitors went home with big plates of food.

Dancing in the streets

The Three Kings arrived in Sucre last Sunday to announce the end of the Christmas period and to provide another wonderful opportunity for dancing in the street. First was the church service, in which Los Masis (the group Bonno plays with) performed their groovy, Andean, repertoire. Many members of the community had brought Baby Jesus, beautifully dressed and adorned with Christmas decorations, from their nativity scenes for a last blessing. At the end of the service we all followed a procession of cars and prams that were completely covered in toys, fake dollar notes, flowers, silver and other good luck charms. Los Masis provided musical colour and we followed them through the town to someone´s living room, where alcohol and deep fried doughnuts were waiting.

Confetti

At 12 pm on the 31st of December there was a deafening sound of fireworks in the Plaza. Not the pretty type, but the annoying sort that just make a lot of noise. People were happily shooting them at each other without any health and safety precautions. Cider was also being sprayed around lavishly and the crowd was covered in confetti: red for love, blue for the sky, green for sincerity, yellow for money, white for purity, orange for married partnerships and pink for falling in love. Many many Happy New Year´s wishes to everyone!