My fauvorite picture

I love this picture! I took it in 2005 , during an archaeological expedition to the Antarctica.

The picture was taken in a Chilean camp site, based in the Rugged island, an isolated place in the South Shetland  island.

It was a during a calm night, with few clowds when I could see the beatifull sunset in the horizon,  incredible!

There is a long travel to get the Rugged island, starting in Punta Arenas city. First you take the military Chilean “Hercules” airplane to the Frei Base in the kind George island; then we continue in a Chilean navy until you get near the island; finally, an helicopter leaved us with the load on the Rugged island.

During our 21th day expedition, we survey the island, walking fifteen kilometer a day, looking for historic places.

The antarctic has beautiful lanscapes, with a lot of wild life and untouched places.

This place brings me back many memories. It was my first  extreme expedition, very important for me, because my dream fulfillment. Now this picture is part of my life. 

The Inca Fortress

Hello!!! I want to tell you about a nice inca archaeological site located 90 km south of Santiago: the Cerro Grande de la Compañía fortress. The site is located in the Rancagua valley, in an isolate hill of 677 meters above sea level, in the middle Cachapoal River. The hill is very cliffy, but it is possible to go up from the south, were the slope is more smooth.  

If you go there, you will see the strategic position of  the site, than permit you to look all around the valley. Also, in his top there are many old stones structures made by rocky walls, some of them used to live, others for storage food (named collcas in quechua language) and others to surround a square. There are also, two big and long perimetral walls that surround and protect all the site. The longest one has 800 meters long. 

The site is possible to visit, but you have to ask permission to enter to the administrators who live there, and you have to pay something to him. 

                                            The site it is amazing!!! You need to visit it it.

My favourite piece of technology

My favourite piece of technology

I have my first GPS, “eTrex Summit HC”, I bought it in the Garmin Gps Store in the Parque Arauco shopping center, last year. I paid four hundred dollars.
My GPS is small, grey, easy to transport and simple to use.
I use the equipment for several archaeological purposes, for example to make a truck between many points; to locate new sites and calculate the altitude of them. There´s as very exactly virtual map.
At the present, all the archaeological scientific papers need to use the Global Positioning System (GPS).
I use my GPS in every travel and expedition that I make. I like my GPS, because it´s my best travel friend!!!
Without my GPS my trip would be lonely and confuse.

EXHIBITION

Chinchorro Mommies...Site Museum.

Last year, in October, I visited the new museum “Colón 10”, located in Arica city, extreme north of Chile. This museum has a spectacular exhibition of ancient mommies of the Chinchorro culture.  

The bodies and skeletons remains exactly have they were found by the archaeologist and they were covered by thick glass.

You can walk over the glass and see the authentic funerary mummification techniques and identify the black mummies, red mummies and bandaged mummies. The display doesn’t use copies or reproduction bodies.  

The Chinchorro´s people originated in the Camarones valley, around the 7000 BC and expanded through the Atacama Desert costal between Ilo valley in the north and Loa river, in the south. They were fishermen, and they used simple but very efficient technology.

I love the site Museum of  Colon 10!

I liked the exhibition, and I think that is something unique of our country. 

You have to go! 

THE LIFE...

Hello!

My name is Carolina Gatica D

I am 31 years old. I was born in Santiago. I am married and we have a beautiful baby of 3 years old. My husband is Archaeologist and he works in the National Museum of Natural History. I love Archaeology always!!

I am a lawyer and I worked in SERMAN for three years, in the attention center for Women, helping in cases of serious violence.

Then, I am studed in the post title of the environmental law, because I m interested in the national monument law.

 Now I am studying Archaeology in the last year, because I want to work in the protection of the Archaeological sites.

The low application is important because it is very necessary are real protection in the archaeological monument of Chile.