New video released of Gallinazo Group dig in Peru

A new video has been released on YouTube that shows the University of Western Ontario’s dig at Gallinazo Group in Peru.

Gallinazo Group is a 2,000 year old Peruvian city that was built by a poorly understood culture known as the “Gallinazo.” As Heritage Key reported recently archaeologists have discovered that the 70 hectare city had giant holes in it.  People lived in crowded, adobe brick, mounds with large empty fields in-between them. It’s a mystery why they chose to live this way, even though there was plenty of free land available.

This video was shot to give students – who are interested in spending a summer digging there – an overview as to what the experience is like (so there is a promotional element to it).

There are also snippets that show what it’s like living in that area of Peru and the field trips that the team went on.

Part of the video shows excavations and research at the site. Other parts show students discussing the experience.

Be sure to check out the video at 1:35 when it zooms in on a textile at the site. 1:50 shows the mapping that dig leader Professor Jean-Francois Millaire talks about extensively in an interview with Heritage Key. 2:08 shows the gradiometer survey, a picture of which can be seen on Heritage Key Select. 2:27 shows a flyover of a virtual model of one of the mounds. A still shot of the virtual model is in the Heritage Key interview article.

If you’re interested in the Gallinazo site – as I am – it’s definitely worth a look. The university is also set renew excavations again this summer. Information about joining the dig, as a student, can be seen here.

Also, to see a complete listing of articles on Gallinazo Group, that Heritage Key has done, click here.

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Owen Jarus

Last three pieces by this author:

So You Want to go North? Ontario Archaeology Conference Will Look at the Canadian Shield | What was the Most Important Site in Ancient London? The Forum! | They’ve found an opening! Egyptologists reach end of tunnel in Seti I tomb

Owen Jarus is a freelance writer based in Toronto ,Canada. He has written articles on archaeology for a variety of media outlets including The Canadian Press newswire (CP), U of T Magazine, The Mississauga News and The Guelph Mercury. Education: BA from the University of Toronto in History, Geography and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations.