How many archaeologists does it take to photograph 1 square meter of dirt?

photomapping
Originally uploaded by n8craig

Luis Flores Blanco, Honorato Tacca, Albino Pilco Quispe, and Nathan Craig photomap an archaic lithic scatter in the Rio Ramis drainage of the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. 3 July 2008.

Mannequins of Puno

Photos by Nathan Craig. These photographs were taken in Puno Peru and they were taken with a Blackberry 8100 Perl. The mannequins were located in a series of shops located near the railroad station. The figurines were interesting both for their exaggerated and grotesque features, but also because they represented a distant departure from the way the people of this Andean region look.

Vortex and Siente in context

Photo by Nathan Craig. Here at a Mira Flores branch of the chi-chi Peruvian market Plaza Vea, hybridity is manifest through commodity. Rows of Vortex and Sentiente, two energy drinks whose featured stimulants are Andean plants, can be seen on sale. Vortex is made with Coca while Sentiente is made with maca.

Maca is a highland plant that is supposed to be good for the kidneys and is said to improve male sexual potentency.

Sold in major supermarket chain, Vortex coca energy drink: identity, comodity, and hybridity.

Salchi Bites

Pizza Hut, Mira Flores, Lima Peru 2008.

Sandwich Miguel, Mira Flores, Lima, Peru

Salchipapa super plato from Sandiwch Miguel next to Pizza Street off Parque Kenedy, Mira Flores, Lima Peru.

Is archaeology a two way street?

Photo by Nathan Craig. Av. de la Arqueología is located next to the Mueso de la Nacion (the Museum of the Nation) in Lima, Peru. Multivalent and/or multivocal materiality.

Surveillance Cameras, Mira Flores, Lima, Peru July 2008

This surveillance camera was observed cantilevered from a window sill, located above a doorway on an older building, that was built next to Parque Kenedy, in the upscale neighborhood of Mira Flores

The series of photos illustrates the positioning of the camera and its larger context. In the first shot the mechanical eye tirelessly monitors a worker below who is repairing the street. The second shot shows additional detail of the lamp suspended below the camera. The third shot shows that the lamp consists of an aluminum roasting pan and a fluorescent bulb.

Green Maize at Aspero

Aspero is an archaeological site that is located in the Supe Valley of Peru. The site has played an important role in the Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization (MFAC) theory. Excavations of the site have revealed the presence of some maize. During the past few decades the town of Puerto Supe began using Aspero as the town dump and much of this important site was buried under trash. In 2005 Ruth Shady and Michael Moseley organized efforts to remove the trash from Aspero. The lion's share of the garbage was hauled away by trucks, but there are still remnant scatters of modern trash still found on the surface of the site. This green plastic fragment of maize represents one remnant fragment of this trash.

Aspero Onion

A discarded onion found growing. The moisture this onion needs to survive is supplied by the heavy coastal fogs that come with the dense marine layer which is fueled by the cold Humboldt current. Huaca de los Sacrificios can be seen in the background.