Archaeology volunteering in Peru

When the Spanish conquistadors discovered Peru in the 16th Century, the land had been ruled for roughly three centuries by the Inca people. During their rule the Incas gained control of an area about one million square kilometres in size, ranging from Ecuador to central Chile. The vast Inca Empire had its administrative, political and military centre in the city of Cuzco.

The year 1533 saw an end to the Inca Empire when the Spanish captured Cuzco. Despite years of Spanish rule, Peru has managed to retain a rich Incan legacy which can be seen throughout the country; the majestic ruins of Machu Picchu and the Inca capital city of Cuzco are amongst the most fascinating Inca sites. Our project is a great choice if you are interested in archaeology and the history of the Inca civilisation, and don't mind getting your hands dirty! Whilst living the lifestyle of the local Peruvian people, you can gain hands-on experience in a range of archaeological and historically-related work and help with local community projects.

All project volunteers are based in Huyro in the La Convencion province. Huyro is about a three hour journey from our main office in the Sacred Valley and has an Internet cafe and some small shops. The work that volunteers are involved in consists of three main areas: archaeology, community work and expeditions.

Volunteers usually spend one day a week working alongside Peruvian experts on archaeological excavations at the newly discovered site of Cochapata. After hiking up to the ruins this work involves clearing and preserving ancient Inca walls and terracing systems in order to understand the Inca people more thoroughly. Volunteers are also helping to map the ruins and there are opportunities to explore ruins that are well off the beaten track as well as remote communities. You may even discover some new ruins yourself. One day a week is also usually spent clearing a section of an original Inca road.

Community meetings in Huyro have been held since August 2006 and have always been very well attended. They are promoted by us in order to discuss our work and the ways in which we can have a positive impact on the local community. The meetings have produced plenty of very useful information and, with the involvement of local leaders we have been given plenty of work for our volunteers to be involved in. Volunteers live in a community house close to the centre of Huyro with a family of our staff who cook and look after them. It is here and also in nearby Patabamba that volunteers are involved in community work. This work ranges from painting a classroom at a local school to organising educational materials for the local teachers and arranging sports competitions and games with the village children.

We are aiming to become self sufficient in the future at our volunteer house and all volunteers are expected to help out with activities like looking after crops, harvesting tomatoes, feeding the chickens and ducks, helping to maintain the out-buildings and taking turns with the washing up after dinner or lunch!

Volunteers also take part in regular expeditions to some of the lesser known Inca sites in the area, or take part in a trek to look for new ruins. These expeditions may sometimes involve camping out for a night or two and add another exciting dimension to the Inca project work.