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High Altitude Archaeology Part 3 (back to Part 2) 
In fact, it would seem that nothing stops Johan from his high
altitude archaeological explorations. He holds the world's
high altitude scuba dive record. At 19,200 feet on Licancabur
he made a very cold dive into a crater lake to see if there
were any remains of Inca offerings to the lake. In an article
written for the American Alpine Journal he described this
experience: "The lake is over 200 feet long and proved to be
relatively deep—about 15 feet in the center. I found a
dark layer, roughly four feet thick, covering the
center-bottom and consisting of millions of crustacean
larvae—something hardly to be expected at this altitude.
Diving into this dark swarm under such unusual circumstances
proved to be an unforgettable experience. Like others at
altitude, I too have occasionally had the sensation of someone
accompanying me who didn't exist. Never before, however, did I
have visions of this being a giant squid! I also saw
underwater mole-like tunnels through the sand made by
something I wasn't able to identify. Although a few pieces of
wood were found at about 12 feet, these were apparently thrown
in without any purpose in mind and no offerings of any type
were seen."
Foremost on Johan's agenda these days is the threat of
potential looting of these sacred sites. "It's hard to do a
lot of plundering at altitude, but is has happened. Before we
went to Ampato, the site was blasted and looted." The aim of
Johan's archaeological expeditions to the Andes is to preserve
the sacred sites for posterity. "The number of high-mountain
sites is limited, and few of the important ones were
investigated prior to being pilfered and, occasionally,
destroyed by treasure hunters and mountain climbers in search
of souvenirs. Even if only one or two minor items were taken
by each climber, a site would rapidly be depleted of finds,
and we may never be able to determine who made them or
reconstruct what took place there... It would be a tragic loss
to (our) cultural and mountaineering heritage if materials
which hold the key to such important ancient beliefs should
disappear before they can be studied."The Lost Empire | The Sacrificial Ceremony | High Altitude Archaeology | Burial Artefacts Expedition '96 | Dispatches | Mummies | Lost Worlds | Mail Resources | Site Map | Ice Mummies of the Inca Home | BBC Horizon Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |