Sunday, February 15, 2009

Syllabus

ROLLINS FIELD STUDY TRIP TO PERU – SPRING 2009
DISCOVERING THE INCA EMPIRE – ANCIENT COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY


Professor Jalh Dulanto, PhD

Course Description
This course is an exploration of the cosmological and astronomical dimensions of Inca myth and history. We will travel to Peru and explore the sacred landscape of the Inca. The trip will include lectures and discussions about the places we will visit along a selection of readings about the cosmological and astronomical aspects of these sites.

We will follow the path of Inca mythical ancestors from Pacariqtambo, the mythical place of Inca origin, to Qosqo, the capital of the Inca historical empire. Once in Qosqo we will visit the Kori Cancha, located at the very center of the Inca world. We will also explore the famous ceque system of the Inca, a series of imaginary lines connecting sacred places linked to Inca calendar, landscape, and kingship. Additionally we will gain an understanding of Inca cosmology and astronomy by visiting a planetarium at Saqsawaman.

From Qosqo we will descend to the Sacred Valley and visit the estates of late historical Inca emperors in Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu. Following our visit to Machu Picchu we will return to Cuzco and trace back the route of early Inca expansion towards the Lake Titi Caca, the very frontier between this world and the underworld according to certain sources on Central Andean cosmology.

Itinerary, Lectures, Readings, and Assignments

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27
15:00: Meeting at CSS 100. Overview of final details for the trip and distribution of reading packages.

FRIDAY, MARCH 06
13:55: Flight Orlando – Lima (AA1434-13:55-15:00, AA917-16:45P-22:15) –WE NEED TO BE AT THE AIRPORT NO LATER THAN 11:55).

SATURDAY, MARCH 07
07:30: Breakfast
09:00: Visit National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History. Lecture: The Inca Predecessors: Central Andean Culture History.
15:00: Flight Lima – Cuzco
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. FIRST POST IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Heather Lechtman, The Andean World. In Andean Art at Dumbarton Oaks (Elizabeth H. Boone ed.). Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1996. Pp. 15-32.

SUNDAY, MARCH 08
07:30: Breakfast
09:00: Bus Cuzco-Paruro. Visit Inca shrines at Maukallaqta, Puma Orqo, and Pacariqtambo –the Inca mythical place of origin. Lecture: Inca Myths of Origin I.
14:00: Bus Paruro-Cuzco
19:00: Bus Cuzco-Saqsawaman. Visit planetarium and sky watching at Saqsawaman. Lecture: Inca Cosmology and Astronomy.
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. SECOND POST IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Gary Urton. Ch. 03: Cosmic Origins Myths, Ch. 04: Origin Myths of the Inca State. In Inca Myths. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Pp. 34-44, 45-58.
Gary Urton. Animals and Astronomy in the Quechua Universe. In Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 125(2), 1981. Pp. 110-127.

MONDAY, MARCH 09
08:00 Breakfast
09:00 Bus to several sites in the Cuzco area. Visit Kori Cancha –or Temple of the Sun- and several shrines along one of the ceques –or imaginary lines-radiating from this place. Lecture: Cuzco: Imperial Capital and Center of the Universe.
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. THIRD POST IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Brian S. Bauer. Ch. 10: Inca Cuzco, Ch. 11: The Coricancha. In Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca. Austin: Texas University Press, 2004. Pp. 107-138, 139-158.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10
08:00: Breakfast
09:00: Bus Cuzco-Pisac-Urubamba-Ollantaytambo. Visit a contemporary Quechua farm and then several of the personal estates of the late historical Inca kings. Lecture: Inca Palaces: Enclosures of Power.
18:00: Train Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes.
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. FOURTH POST IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Susan Niles. The Nature of Inca Royal Estates. In Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas (Richard L. Burger and Lucy C. Salazar eds.). New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Pp. 49-70.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
06:00: Breakfast
07:00: Bus Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu. Visit Machu Picchu, the famous Lost City of the Incas, and personal estate of Pachakuti, the first Inca historical emperor. Lecture: Machu Picchu: From Lost City to Royal Estate.
15:00: Bus and Train. Machu-Picchu- Cuzco.
21:00: Dinner and Discussion.

Readings:
Lucy C. Salazar. Machu Picchu: Mysterious Royal Estate in the Cloud Forest. In Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas (Richard L. Burger and Lucy C. Salazar eds.). New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Pp. 21-47.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12
07:00: Breakfast
08:00: Bus Cuzco-Puno. Visit XVth century Colonial church in Huaro, the temple of Wiracocha in Racchi, and the Waru-Waru -raised agricultural fields in the altiplano. Lecture: Inca Myths of Origin II.
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. FIFTH AND SIXTH POSTS IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Gary Urton. Ch. 03: Cosmic Origins Myths, Ch. 04: Origin Myths of the Inca State. In Inca Myths. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Pp. 34-44, 45-58.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13
08:00: Breakfast
09:00: Boat Puno – Uru reed islands – Taquile Island. Visit reed islands of the Uru and Taquile island in the Titicaca lake. “The Polar Bear Challenge”: Swim in the freezing waters of the Titi Caca lake if you dare!!!
21:00: Dinner and Discussion. SEVENTH POST IN YOUR BLOG DUE TODAY.

Readings:
Weston La Barre. The Uru of the Rio Desaguadero. In American Anthropologist 43 (4), 1941. Pp. 493-522.
Elayne Zorn and Linda Farthing. Communitarian Tourism: Host and Mediators in Peru. In Annals of Tourism Research 34(3):673-689.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14
08:00: Breakfast
09:00: Flight Juliaca – Lima.
12:00: Visit Indian Market in Lima.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15
6:30: Flight Lima – Orlando (AA2110-6:30-13:05, AA202Q-16:45-17:45). WE NEED TO BE AT THE AIRPORT NO LATER THAN 3:30).
Note: All days we will have a 1-hour break for lunch sometime between 12:00-14:00 pm depending on how the visits to the sites are going.

Evaluation
1 Blog / 7 posts (1 per day between Saturday, Match 07 and Friday, March 13)

Blog
Your assigment during this trip will be to create, maintain, and present a blog devoted to your daily exploration of Inca myth and history.

You have to form a group of 2 students before the trip. Send me an email with the names of the students in the group.
As a group you will be responsible for creating, maintaining, and presenting a blog to the rest of the class during the trip.
Think of this blog as a travel journal in which you will jointly present your trip experiences.
You have to update the blog daily between Saturday, March 07 and Friday, March 13 –one post per day for a total of seven posts.
The deadlines for each of the seven posts are indicated in the schedule above.
Posts should be about the places we visit each day, my lectures at these places, the readings assigned for that day and, more importantly, your experiences and impressions of Inca culture and history.
Use of photographs and video are highly encouraged. So, try to bring a small digital camera with video capability.
Remember that the blog will be seen by your classmates, friends, and family at home.
Internet-Cafes are available in all the places we will visit. So, it should not be a problem for you to upload your posts.
Instructions on how to create and maintain a blog are available at https://www.blogger.com/start. If, after reading the instructions, you still need help, please let me know with time.
A prize will be awarded to the best blog!!!