Digging into the Past, Building Future Careers

Students worked with a professor to unearth ancient civilizations in Peru and collect data and imagery being used in courses this semester.

For two Washington College students, the summer of 2024 was less about textbooks and more about trowels, drones, and the thrill of discovery high in the Andes. Harrison Fear ’24 and Amy Cannon ’25, accompanied by Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology Patrick Mullins, spent two months conducting groundbreaking archaeological fieldwork in Peru’s Carabamba region. Their work, a mixed-methods survey of previously unrecorded archaeological sites, unearthed fascinating insights into ancient Andean civilizations. 

The Carabamba Plateau is home to numerous ruins of fortified towns and temples, rich in undiscovered stories of a contentious existence at the edge of states and empires. “For over two millennia of prehistory, the communities of this highland region were perched on the easternmost frontier of some of the largest precolonial states and empires that developed in South America,” said Mullins, “from the kingdoms of the Moche peoples (400-900 CE) to the expansive Chimú Empire (1100-1470 CE).” 

The team’s mission involved a comprehensive approach to understanding that tumultuous past. The students joined Mullins and a team of international scientists and anthropologists in conducting this first-of-its-kind research. 

“I co-founded PAGuaL (Proyecto Arqueológico sobre la Historia y Prehistoria de los Guacapongos y Llampas) with my colleagues Dr. Amedeo Sghinolfi (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières), Dr. Dana Bardolph (Northern Illinois University), and Lic. Elvis Monzon (Universidad Nacional de Trujillo) to explore the deep pasts of borderlands, imperialism, and conflict in the Carabamba Plateau,” said Mullins. “We are particularly interested in understanding the political landscape of this region during the florescence of the Chimú Empire, a period that saw the rise of several large, fortified towns. Were these towns the centers of highland kingdoms that were hostile to the Chimú Empire? Did they perhaps play a part in the epic struggles between the Kings of Chimor and the Inka Empire? We want to know.” 

To answer these questions, the team climbed over 3,500 meters up the mountains, daily. Cannon remembers the treks as being “not for the faint of heart.” Once they had boots on the ground, they meticulously collected surface artifacts, documented standing architecture—some of which was well over a thousand years old—through detailed photography, and utilized cutting-edge drone technology to capture aerial imagery. Their collected data is now being used to construct detailed 3-D models of the archaeological sites and their surrounding landscapes, offering a unique and immersive way to study these long-lost settlements. Their efforts yielded remarkable discoveries, painting a vivid picture of life in the region between 500 and 2,000 years ago. Among the highlights was compelling evidence of the Inca Empire’s expansion into this territory and the astonishing preservation of several three-story buildings, offering a rare glimpse into the architectural ingenuity of the past. 

For Fear and Cannon, this expedition was far more than just a summer trip.  

“Peru has always been a bucket list adventure for me, so I jumped at the chance to go,” said Cannon, an anthropology major hoping to continue work in the field in the Delmarva region after graduation. “One experience that was very exciting for me was to tour an archeological site in Trujillo, Peru that was being conducted by Dr. Gabriel Prieto with grants from the National Geographic Society that is believed to be one of the largest ancient mass child sacrifice burials in the world.” 

The team also toured many of the ancient sites covered in Mullins’ South American Archaeology class including Chan Chan, Huaca de Sol, Huaca de Luna, Cerro Sulcha, Cudista, Alto Togopon, and La Gran Shamana. 

For both students, the Peru trip was an immersive educational experience that brought their classroom learning to life. They gained hands-on expertise in archaeological survey techniques, artifact identification, photographic documentation, and the burgeoning field of drone-based archaeological mapping and modeling.  

“Working with Dr. Mullins was extraordinary,” said Cannon. “His knowledge and experience in Peruvian studies is endless as is his excitement and passion for the work he is conducting there. It was truly an honor to be a part of Dr. Mullins’ 2024 CARP team.” 

Mullins emphasized the transformative impact of such experiential learning opportunities. “This experience was a great capstone for Harrison’s undergraduate journey as he graduated in the Spring of 2024 and is currently on the job market. Amy is forging ahead with her work and is going on to focus on one particularly large, fortified town we mapped – called Cerro Shamana – as the subject of her Senior Capstone Experience project (SCE).” 

The Peru project was made possible through the support of several grants, including a Brennan Foundation Grant, a Hodson Collaborative research grant, additional funding from a grant awarded to Fear from Washington College's Center for Environment and Society, and a Northern Illinois University Center for Latino and Latin American Studies Faculty Associate Research grant. The financial support underscores the College’s dedication to making such transformative experiences accessible to its students.  

This semester, Mullins is using the aerial drone imagery they collected, including data from their "Moche Valley Settlement Database," to bring remote locations to students in the classroom at Washington. He is hopeful to continue this important work, with plans to take one or two more students to Peru this coming summer and to further develop this Independent Study into a formal course utilizing the maps as archival resources so generations of Washington College students can explore distant sites in Peru from the comfort of Chestertown. 

Washington College continues to prioritize these immersive educational opportunities, where students are not confined to the classroom when it comes to rigorous academic exploration. Visit the Archaeology and Anthropology webpage for more information on the opportunities available to current and future students.  

 

- Dominique Ellis Falcon