Project Summary
The archaeological site in Tiwanaku, Bolivia is a pre-Columbian and non-Incan site located in the western altiplano of Bolivia, near Lake Titicaca and the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they need to have the appropriate documentation to maintain their site status. We traveled to Bolivia for two weeks to collect digital assets, including high-resolution photos, videos, audio recordings, 3D scans of the site, 3D scans of individual artifacts on site and in the museum, aerial photography, videography, and photogrammetry, and architectural measurements and sketches. The web design and development senior capstone students on the trip are in the process of creating a website using these digital assets to display the history and conservation efforts of the site, along with a password-protected catalog of all the artifacts and structures. The catalog will exist as a virtual reference of the status of each artifact and what steps need to be taken for conservation. This will help the site maintain its UNESCO World Heritage status. The project gave its members a cultural experience with lasting memories and lessons that will help them in their future careers.
Students: Al Baker, Katelyn Swain
Faculty Mentor: Professor Emily Hedrick
Other Students: Tanner Mahovsky (Digital Audio), McKay Horton (Digital Cinema), Kierstyn Dimas (Architecture), Samuel Zenteno (Architecture)
Other Faculty: Professor Bryan Sansom (Digital Audio), Dr. Aliki Milioti (Architecture)
Organizations:CIAAAT – Centro de Investigaciónes Arqueológicas Anthropológicas y Administración de Tiwanaku, NCPTT – National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia
