2012 Chautauqua Program - Northern Bolivia at Equinox

Tiwanaku's Sun Gate at Dawn

Ancient Astronomy and Culture in Northern Bolivia:

Lake Titicaca, the Island of the Sun, and Equinox at Tiwanaku

March 17 - 21, 2012

Instructor: Dr. Ed Barnhart

Course Description:

This brief adventure to Northern Bolivia is timed to the March equinox, autumn in South America. Course participants will learn about the Aymara people, the ecology of Lake Titicaca, the Island of the Sun, and the astronomical alignments of Bolivia’s greatest archaeological mystery – the ancient city of Tiwanaku.

The course will begin and end in the world’s highest capital city, La Paz, at 12,000 feet above sea level. Striking out the next morning for Lake Titicaca, the group will arrive to Copacabana on a Sunday in time to witness the parade of people waiting to have their colorfully decorated cars blessed in front of the Basilica de Virgen de la Candelaria. A two hour boat ride at dawn the next day will take course participants for a hike across the Island of the Sun to the place where Inca mythology states that the god Viracocha first called forth the Sun and Moon to rise. That evening they depart for Tiwanaku, arriving just in time to watch the sun set over its temples. That evening Dr. Barnhart will present a lecture about the debate surrounding Tiwanaku’s true antiquity and purpose.

The next morning will be March 20^th, equinox, and special permission will grant the group access to the ruins before dawn. Standing in the center of the Kalasasaya Temple, they will watch the equinox sun rise through its central eastern doorway. After a thorough tour of the rest of Tiwanaku and its onsite museum, the course will head back to La Paz in time to explore its famous Witches Market. The course will come to a celebratory close that evening in La Paz with a final group dinner. Flights the next day will get participants back home on a Wednesday night.

Click for a more detailed itinerary

For people interested in:

Ancient culture, astronomy, ecology, religious studies, architecture, 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 culture and modern day Bolivia.

Dr. Ed Barnhart can recommend readings for those interested in learning more before the trip.  The tours will involve climbing ruins in high

altitudes and cold weather.  Participants in weak physical condition are encouraged to build strength and stamina before the trip.  Consult

your physician about the possibility of medicines to abate the effects of high altitude.

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:

$1100.00 for double lodging

$1300.00 for single room lodging

Costs include:

Lodging in La Paz - Hotel Plaza Bolivia

Lodging in Copacabana - Hotel Rosario del Lago

Lodging in Tiwanaku - Hotel Akapana

Ground Transportation

Water Transportation

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 La Paz. Since participants come from all over the country, recommending a single flight is impossible. La Paz is a major capital and there are many flight options. As of October 2011, the average flight from the USA to La Paz is running about $1000-1200.

Costs do not include:

Airfare to/from La Paz

lunches and dinners (except the last night)

travel insurance

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

Hotels during the course:

La Paz - Hotel Plaza Bolivia

Copacabana - Hotel Rosario del Lago

Tiwanaku - Hotel Akapana

To secure a place in the course a deposit of $200 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 Bolivia, we highly recommend an ATM card and/or a credit card. ATM's are everywhere in La Paz and a few in Copacabana. 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 Bolivian Bolivianos. The exchange rate as of October 2011 is 1 US Dollar = 7.03 Bolivianos. International airports have several places to change money.

Copacabana on the shores of lake Titicaca

Detailed Itinerary for the 2012 Bolivia Course