The Asociación Contisuyo

What is it?

Named after the southwestern province of the Inka Empire, the Asociación Contisuyo is a Peruvian non-profit cultural association dedicated to supporting archaeological research in the Departamento of Moquegua and building public interest and pride in the regional heritage. The Asociación Contisuyo is primarily funded by Southern Peru Copper Corporation.

History

• 1981: The Programa Contisuyo was founded by Robert Pritzker and Dr. Michael Moseley of Field Museum of Natural History as a research alliance between Southern and an international consortium of archaeologists.
• 1991: The Asociación Contisuyo was founded by Charles Preble and Maria Antonieta de Preble, in order to bring regional archaeology to the public by establishing the Museo Contisuyo. The Asociación Contisuyo later absorbed the Programa Contisuyo, adopting a double mission of research and public outreach.
• 1994: The Museo Contisuyo was inaugurated by Maria Antonieta de Preble, showcasing the results of 14 years of research, and supporting new investigations through its collections and laboratory facilities.

Public programs

• In 1998, over 21,000 people visited the Museo’s permanent exhibition hall, special exhibitions, and cultural events.
• In 1998, the Museo
• mounted four special temporary archaeological exhibitions
• hosted nine art expositions
• held seven archaeological conferences and seminars
• made five archaeological presentations to local schools
• taught summer school classes for 253 students
• organized a traditional dance contest attended by 3,000 people
• brought the Arequipa Symphony Orchestra to Moquegua for a public concert with an audience of 1,000
• ran an "archaeological art" contest for local students
• led site tours for visiting groups
• participated in over 120 events hosted by other institutions
• ...and carried out many other public, cultural activities.
• The Museo aggressively works to preserve archaeological sites and salvage data from sites that face destruction by development projects.

Research results

• From 1981 through early 1999, over 50 distinct archaeological projects have benefited from Contisuyo support, from housing, vehicles, equipment, and lab facilities, through curation of collections and intense exchange of data among all participants.

• These projects have brought over US $ 1.4 million in research funding to the region, from a wide range of sources, including:

• Contisuyo projects have resulted in hundreds of professional publications (see the regional bibliography) and numerous academic degrees, including

• The Museo now houses over 66,000 objects, including collections from
• 19 years of independent research and archaeological rescue projects supported by Contisuyo
• a large scale cemetery salvage excavation at Chen Chen by Bertha Vargas for the Peruvian Instituto Nacional de Cultura
• the spectacular collection of the late Father Francisco Fahlman of Moquegua
• ...and many donations from local people


• The Museo has a specialized archaeological library, open to the public, that contains many books and articles about the region, as well as many unpublished theses, dissertations, and reports.

 Copyright (c) 1999, Dr. Bruce Owen. All rights reserved.
Please send comments on content and presentation to Dr. Bruce Owen.
URL of this document: http://bruceowen.com/contisuyo/WhatIsContiE.html
Revised: 25 October 1999