2012 Chautauqua Program - Paracas and the Nazca Lines, Peru

The Nazca Lines Spider

Ancient Culture and Modern Ecology in Peru:

The Paracas Desert, the Ballestras Islands, and the Nazca Lines

July 6 - 11, 2012

Instructor: Dr. Ed Barnhart

Course Description:

This six day travel course will be a fascinating combination of unique geography and mysterious archaeology. Starting out in Lima, day one of the course will be spend visiting museums and the gigantic pyramid complexes preserved as parks within the city. Then a six hour drive south will bring participants into one of the driest places in the world - the northern limits of what Chile calls the Atacama Desert. Paracas is the name of the region and the museum in Ica contains dozens of examples of one of Peru’s great archaeological mysteries – the elongated skulls found in Paracas shaft burial tombs. That evening will be spent in the picturesque Huacachina Oasis and a 12-seater dune buggy will take the group far out into the desert hills for an amazing view of the sunset.

The next morning, just one hour from the oasis, the course will be on a boat visiting the penguins and sea lions that live on the Ballestras Islands. The Humboldt Current sweeps up from the south along the Paracas desert, making this incredible eco-niche possible. One more hour south will bring the group to the small town of Nazca where they will have the rest of the day off to explore and relax.

The final day of the course will be dedicated to the mysterious Nazca Lines. Early morning flights from the tiny Nazca airport will bring participants four at a time over the arid plains where the massive desert drawings lie. Then later that morning, the group will take a second flight, this time over the lesser known Palpa Lines, said by some archaeologists to be much older than the Nazca Lines. Figures rarely seen, including some human forms, will be seen during this second flight. In the afternoon the course heads back to the north, enjoying a final dinner in Lima’s Larco Mar complex. Flights back to the USA will depart from the Lima international airport sometime around midnight.

Click for a more detailed itinerary

For people interested in:

Ancient culture, ecology, astronomy, religious studies, geography, archaeology, anthropology, history, art history, sociology, philosophy and other related social sciences fields.

Prerequisites:

While not a requirement, participants are encouraged to have at least some knowledge of ancient Andean desert cultures. Dr. Ed Barnhart can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip. The tours will not be strenuous, but it will involve hot days in the desert and cold evenings. Remember that July is on the middle of South America’s winter. Rain jackets will not be required!

About your instructor:

Dr. Ed Barnhart has worked in Mexico and Central America for the last twenty years as an archaeologist, an explorer, and an instructor. During his four years as the student of Dr. Linda Schele (world renowned for finally breaking the Maya code of hieroglyphics in 1973) he developed a strong background in Maya hieroglyphics, calendar systems, iconography, and archaeoastronomy. During his graduate career, South American iconography and shamanism were also major foci of his studies. From 1998 to 2000 he was the Director of the Palenque Mapping Project, an archaeological survey that discovered over 1000 new structures in the Maya ruins of Palenque. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and is now the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, a non-profit research center based in Austin, Texas and Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico . He and his team are currently investigating archaeoastronomy and ancient geometry in the ruins of Central America, South America, and Cambodia. Visit www.mayaexploration.org for more information about Dr. Barnhart and the Maya Exploration Center.

Costs:

$1400.00 for double lodging

$1700.00 for single room lodging

Costs include:

Lodging in Lima - Hotel Alpa

Lodging in Ica - Hotel Mossone

Lodging in Nazca - Casa Andina

Private ground transportation

Boat ride to the Ballestras Islands

Flights over the Nazca and Palpa Lines

Breakfasts

Final group dinner at closing ceremonies

Museum entry fees

Ruins/park entry fees

Flights:

Participants are responsible for arranging their own flight reservations to and from Lima. Since participants come from all over the country, recommending a single flight is impossible. As of October 2011, the average flight from the USA to Lima is running about $700-1000.

Costs do not include:

Airfare to/from Lima

lunches and dinners (except the last night)

travel insurance

tips for service providers (drivers, waiters, maid staff, etc.)

Hotels during the course:

Hotel Alpa, Hotel Mossone, and Casa Andina

To secure a place in the course a deposit of $300 to Ahau Travel is required.

The balance payment will then be due 60 days before the course.

We request your deposit by check to:

Ahau Travel

3267 Bee Caves Rd

Suite 107-161

Austin, Texas 78746

Or you can pay with a credit card through Paypal.com with the button below

When it becomes available, you must also fill out the 2012 Chautauqua Program registration form and pay the $100 registration fee at:

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/csme/

Immunizations:

Participants in Dr. Barnhart’s courses always ask about whether they need pre-course immunizations. Dr. Barnhart is not a medical professional and this is a question he cannot and should not answer. Each participant should consult his or her personal physician before the course.

Money:

For money in Peru, we highly recommend an ATM card and/or a credit card. ATM's are everywhere in Peru and available 24-hours a day. You can also use a credit card with a pin number (if you know the pin number). Travelers checks are very difficult to exchange and you could end up spending the entire day at the bank.

Please change some U.S. money in the United States into Peruvian Nuevo Soles. The exchange rate as of October 2011 is 1 US Dollar = 2.77 Nuevo Soles. International airports have several places to change money.

The elongated skulls of Paracas in the Ica Museum

Detailed Itinerary for the 2012 Nazca Course