Question:
In regard to your statement that "plundering of sacred sites continues today".
Digging up a 500 year old mummy, for whatever reason, constitutes desecration
of a sacred site. But, if your mission is only to substantiate the hypothesis
that such mummies exists, OK, but immediately return any you find to their icy
graves. If however, they are to be moved to a freezer in some museum's
laboratory, for anthropological studies, would NOVA not then be equally guilty
of plundering? There must be many persons who would find such actions far more
distasteful than having a few gold coins stolen? Please clarify the
justification of the mission. Many thanks and don't fall off the mountain.
Turvy
Cumberland,B.C.,Canada
Response from Dr. Johan Reinhard:
"The dead should be left alone, but the reality is that
there's extensive looting of tombs and destruction of mummies in the Andes. It
is inevitable that this will appear at sites where there can be no protection
provided because of high altitude. True respect for the dead under these
conditions is being done by careful excavation and conservation of materials.
This position is accepted by local indigenous peoples and national governmental
authorities. This way the dead and their possessions can be kept in one place,
safely, and well preserved—at least enabling, if so desired in the future, a
potential for reinterment. All of our work is done to demonstrate our respect
for the traditional beliefs and customs of the indigenous people where we work.
Locals have always been involved in our work. We see no alternative to this
approach. But, we are open to any suggestions."
Question:
How heavy are the backpacks that the team members carry?
What equipment is used for communication among the team members and with the
outside world? Thanks!
John Silva
Wheaton, MD
Response from Liesl Clark:
We are able to communicate "live" on the web through the use of
a satellite phone that is linked to a laptop. A digital camera is also being
used, and we are able to retrieve and compress those images into small files
that can be transferred via satellite. Each image takes about 3 minutes to
send, whereas a page of text takes only seconds. To send an image, for
example, the digital camera downloads an image into Adobe Photoshop in the
laptop. The laptop then compresses the image into a .jpeg file. Then, using
communications software, the laptop dials up NOVA ONLINE and transmits the
image through the satellite phone. The image then travels as bits from the
satellite phone on Sara Sara to the "Atlantic Ocean West" satellite which sends
the bits down to an earthlink station in Canada. The information then travels
by phone lines to NOVA ONLINE. On the receiving end, NOVA ONLINE has a
designated computer with a designated phone number that receives all of our
information from the field. It is then just a matter of minutes until the
information is put up on the site.
As far as our backpacks are concerned, we have a standardized requirement of 20
kilos (45 lbs) that paid porters must carry. Many of them, however, have
enthusiastically carried as much as 40 kilos! Those of us who are documenting
the climb and excavation carry all of our cameras, lenses, tape recorders,
batteries etcetera so that we can be mobile and document events as they happen.
We do have some assistance for the rest of our essential expedition equipment
and food.
Question:
Does any of your staff speak fluent Quechan?
What unexpected things have happened so far?
Richard Bond
Shoreham, New York
Response from Liesl Clark:
Expedition manager Matt Wells writes: "Dios pagarata-puikimanta!"
which means "We're grateful for your question about the Quechua speakers on our
expedition." Yes, there are a number of expedition members who speak and are
familiar with Quechua, otherwise known as Runa Simi. In particular, Quechua is
the prima lingua of Zoilo and Genero, our cooks, and of Ignacio and Arcadio,
two of our indispensable archeological and mountain staff. Many of you may be
aware that Quechua is an ancient language spoken throughout the pre-conquest
Inca empire. The language was a major factor in the unification of many tribal
and cultural groups within the extensive land regions administrated by the
central Inca government in Cuzco. Originally, Quechua was an unwritten
language and has only recently been phoneticized for study and instruction. As
with any unstandardized form of communication, change in evolution occurs over
a period of time, and today the Quechua which is spoken in the Andean highlands
is regionalized to the point of being distinctly different from one area to the
next. There is a continuity of nouns and verbs, however, that are recognized
in most regions. For example, all those that speak Quechua count in the same
manner and recognize words such as water, sun, moon, man, woman, child, and
home. For a major percentage of the indigenous population, Quechua remains the
first language. Spanish, however, is the official governmental and commercial
means of communication in Peru. Nonetheless, Quechua unites the highland
communities and continues to remind them of their cultural heritage and their
living past.
To answer your question about unexpected things, once you leave a population
center in Peru, everything is a gamble. You have to rely on weather and
uncertain conditions. Things mechanical always seem to break down and the
availability of materials (food and supplies) is not always at your fingertips.
This is the challenge of any expedition.
Question:
My son-in-law and I want to know if in the Inca society, which apparently used
ritual sacrifice to appease an all-powerful mountain/sun deity,
did this society at the same time have shaman healers? The latter understand
and practise a balance in nature which appears in contradiction to a
sacrificial, (mono?)theistic society. What type of problem would provoke a
human sacrifice? P.S.—the site is terrific and we enthusiastically follow
your every step!
Peter Bentley
Robbins Island, MA
Response from Liesl Clark:
Did the Inca have Shamans? Yes. Johan Reinhard defines a shaman
as "A person who at will can enter into a non-ordinary psychic state in order
to communicate with the spirit world (either through spirit possession or soul
journey) on behalf of the community." We know that shamans existed in Inca
culture because the Inca talked about some of their people having "spirit
possession." Shamans, furthermore, probably participated in the human
sacrifices but we don't have any specific reference to this in the early
chronicles. We know, however, that "priests" were integral to the process.
Sacrifices were often made during or after an auspicious event: an earthquake,
an epidemic, a drought, or after the death of an Inca Emperor.
We will present more about the Capacocha sacrificial ceremony in the "Lost
Worlds" article "The Sacrificial Ceremony" beginning Saturday, September
21st.
Comment:
It's incredibly fascinating to live out the real-life heroes whose passion is
to uncover the hidden wonders of the ancients, while we sit back in our
comfortable homes and watch, and eerily feel their anticipation for the next
steps that carry them on to their journey. My heartbeat was slightly racing as
I read what awaited them to their goal. I hope that those people who gave
themselves up for sacrifice so long ago, could secretly have wished that one
day others would come to find out about them and their ordeal, forever
immortalizing them. I eagerly anticipate the final documentary, and thank PBS
for this close-to-real life experience.
Fred Corsale
Montreal, Quebec
Comment:
My fifth grade class and I are thrilled to find this site about Incan Indians.
We have just finished studying the early Indians of North and South America.
This site will enrich my students well beyond any material that
I can supply. We will follow the expedition carefully and eagerly! Thank you
for all your efforts!
Sincerely,
Sharon Simon
Davis Creek Elementary
Fifth Grade
Barboursville, WV
Question:
Hola, we were all wondering what kind of food you eat up there, and if there is
any difficulty in the altitude of cooking.
Wiscasset High Students
Wiscasset, ME
Response from Liesl Clark:
The food we eat at 18,000 feet usually has to be simple and easy
to make. Soups are always the first course every night, and the second course
usually consists of rice or pasta with mutton or vegetables on top. Breakfast
is pretty traditional: eggs when they can be brought in from the village below,
pancakes, and hot oats. Lunch is bread, cheese, chocolate, a piece of fruit
and sometimes nuts. At altitude, water boils at a lower temperature, because
of reduced atmospheric pressure; therefore everything takes longer to cook.
For example, to cook a soft boiled egg at sea level takes about 4 minutes; at
18,000 feet it takes 10 minutes or longer (depending on how runny you like your
yolk!).
Question:
Could we get a picture of the villagers? Are they OK with you removing the
mummy from their sacred mountain?
Tig Tillinghast
San Francisco, CA
Response from Liesl Clark:
The townspeople of Quilcata are supportive of the expedition and the excavation
of the mummy from Sara Sara. To them, the presence of the mummy is
confirmation that this mountain was very sacred to their ancestors. They came
up with the name "Sarita" for the mummy, and were actively involved in the
entire project. They are very proud of their town and its proximity to this
very important peak. Johan and Jose Antonio's relations with the local people
will continue, as they hope to return to Sara Sara to further explore the
sacrificial platforms on the summit in the years to come.
Question:
I would like to know more about the idea behind the children being offered as
sacrifices. Why not virgins, as in other cultures, or the "Holy Men"
themselves?
Kemberly Martinez
Troy, NC
Response from Liesl Clark:
If you haven't read "The Sacrificial Ceremony", please do—it describes the sacrificial ritual in some detail. As far as we know, the
children were virgins, although that was not known to be a prerequisite to
sacrifice. Historians believe the children, in their perfection, were perhaps
the most valuable humans for the culture to sacrifice. They were chosen by
their own families, and it was considered a great honour not only for the child
but for the family as well.
Question:
I am curious about how well the team is adapting to the high altitude at the
summit of Sara Sara. In particular, are team members recovering from the
effects of high altitude sickness with time spent at 18,000 feet? Are the
local team members recovering faster than the "lowland" (and North American)
team members?
Mike Vande Bunt
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Response from Liesl Clark:
We address this question in this week's feature, "The
Mummy's Journey." As to the local team members (i.e. those from Quilcata) they
seem to be unaffected by the altitude. Quilcata sits at 11,000 feet. This
surely gives the people from the village an advantage in acclimatizing quickly
to 18,000 feet. The archaeologists from Arequipa—Johan and Jose Antonio—were also quick to acclimatize because they have spent the last few months at
altitude excavating on Andean peaks like Pichu Pichu and Hualca Hualca.
Question:
What's the weather like in Peru?
Jennifer Earhart
Brooklyn, Ohio
Response from Liesl Clark:
The weather (at least on Sara Sara) is generally dry, except for
the occasional snowfall and storms we got at 18,000 feet. During the day, when
the sun shines, it is warm, but as soon as the sun drops below the horizon it
becomes very cold.
Question:
My class is studying Peru. And we would like to know was the tomb found
underground? or above ground?
Kristine Sixth Grade Class
State College, PA
Response from Liesl Clark:
The tomb was underground in a "platform" on a southeast facing
slope on Sara Sara's summit. A platform is typically a rock enclosure built
from rocks ranging from the size of a football to the size of a large computer
monitor.
Mail
Response from Liesl Clark: