TIERRA SAJAMA began in the spring of 2003 as a joint seminar-studio between the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Department of Anthropology. Focusing on a site in the high altiplano of western Bolivia’s Carangas region, the class explored fundamental questions about a conspicuous yet still not fully understood archeological phenomenon—the presence of pre-Colombian geo-glyphs in the landscape. These large landscape “drawings” take the form of straight lines that often converge at (or diverge from) radial centers.

Explorer and filmmaker Tony Morrison first reported this major network of sacred lines in the 1970s after visiting the Mount Sajama area; however, few of these features have been studied on the ground. Named for the majestic volcano and town that act as a gateway to the altiplano, the Tierra Sajama study area encompasses an area of approximately 22,000 square kilometers. This area, chosen because of the prominence of lines that cover it, is bounded roughly by Sajama National Park to the north, the Salar de Coipasa to the south, and Lake Poopo to the east.

To facilitate this research class participants created a geographic information systems (GIS) computer-database of maps and pertinent information about the lines, local vegetation, and relevant topography. The class participants then began to analyze and interpret the patterns and meanings of various land features (such as mountaintop shrines and religious structures) to determine possible alignments to the sacred lines. Finally, the students developed a tentative plan that provided for long-term line protection and enhanced appreciation of this sacred landscape.

| introduction | context | hypotheses | proposal | process | resources |