Pukara was the first regional population center in the northern Lake Titicaca Basin during the Late Formative Period (500 BC- AD 200), providing valuable insights into the origins of Andean civilization in the highlands. During its peak it covered over a square kilometer and housed thousands of bureaucrats, priests, artisans, farmers, herders, and possibly warriors. The Pukara style is identified by impressive monolithic sculptures with a variety of geometric, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic images plus intricate, multi-colored pottery in a variety of ritual and domestic forms. As one can imagine, the size and complexity of Pukara plus its rich material culture have drawn attention by archaeologists for almost a century. Major excavations projects were conducted in 1939 (Alfred Kidder II of Harvard University), in the 1970s (Plan Copesco), and have continued over the last decade (Klarich et al.).
Additional photos of the Pukara Lithic Museum, our project crew, life in Puno, and traveling in the Lake Titicaca Basin are coming soon.
