Ancient Ritual Objects Lab Experience-Peru

Location: huanchaco, peru

Season: July 13, 2025 to July 20, 2025

Session Dates: This is a one-week experience from July 13-20, 2025

Application Deadline: May 31, 2025

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://www.ancientodysseys.com/archaeologydigperu

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
University of Trujillo and University of Florida

Project Director:
Gabriel Prieto

Project Description:

Join Archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Gabriel Prieto to conserve priceless ritual artifacts in Peru

On this incredible itinerary, you’ll work alongside Dr. Prieto in the archaeology lab at the University of Trujillo. You’ll be trained and join in on the hands-on conservation, cleaning and labeling of human remains and archaeological artifacts found at sites like Jose Olaya, Pampa La Cruz, Chan Chan and others.

Dr. Prieto himself hails from Huanchaco where he has conducted excavations and studied the lives and ritualized human violence of the ancient cultures of the Chimú and Moche people who lived in and around Huanchaco from 1100 BC to AD 650.

Dr. Prieto made international headlines in 2018 when he discovered the 500-year-old remains of 200 llamas and 140 children, the victims of a mass ritual sacrifice at the Chimú site of Huanchaquito-Las Llamas.

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Join Dr. Prieto, the world authority on ritual sites of the Moche Valley on this all-inclusive itinerary:

+4 days labwork at the University of Trujillo, Peru with Dr. Prieto to preserve and catalog ancient ritual objects and human remains.

In your 4 days of labwork, you will learn how to analyze artifacts from prehistoric households and human remains from burials by: 

• Clean, label, describe, conserve and photograph human remains and archaeological artifacts such as textiles, ceramic vessels and fragments, metal objects, and organic materials such as carved bones, wood and gourds

• All the artifacts you work on will be stored at the Laboratory of Archaeology and Conservation at the University of Trujillo, under the permits of the Ministry of Culture in Peru.

+8 days/7 nights, including accommodations

+Breakfast daily

+Some lunches and dinners (with the researcher!)

+Flight from Lima to Trujillo

+Guided field trips with Dr. Prieto to Chan Chan, Chicama Valley, El Brujo and Huaca Cao

+Other activities including a ceviche cooking class, Peruvian Paso show and more!

Period(s) of Occupation: Mainly "Early Intermediate Period" (A.D. 100-650) and Late Intermediate Period (A.D. 1000-1450).

Notes:
Cost for the week is USD $2,709/pp for a shared, double room. Single is $2,809 and Triple share is $2,679

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 8 days

Minimum Age: 25

Experience Required: No experience required

Room and Board Arrangements:
Accommodations are included. All breakfasts are included and a few lunches and dinners.

Academic Credit:
None