Samaipata project – aim of the research, methodology, and methods of documentation

Jacek Kościuk, Mariusz Ziółkowski, Bartłomiej Ćmielewski, Delfor Ulloa Vidaurre

doi:10.37190/arc200204

Abstract

The Samaipata project concerns one of Bolivia’s most important monuments – El Fuerte de Samaipata, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This paper describes the origin of the project, the reasons behind starting it, and its main goals. In addition, the documentation, surveying and analytical methods used in the project are briefly described.

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2020

2(62)

DOI: 10.37190/arc200204

Introduction

El Fuerte de Samaipata is a pre-Hispanic archaeolog-

ical site in Bolivia on the eastern slopes of the Andes. It

lies at an altitude of ca. 1890–1925 m in Florida Province,

about 80 km (in a straight line) south-west from Santa

Cruz de la Sierra.

Due to its outstanding historical and cultural values,

El Fuerte de Samaipata was inscribed on the UNESCO

World Heritage List in 1998. The whole site covers an

area of about 40 ha and consists of two main parts:

– An administrative and ceremonial complex of ca. f-

ty buildings typical for provincial Incan architecture lo-

cated in the southern part of the site;

– A natural rock (ca. 80 × 250 m) in the northern part of

the site (Fig. 1).

The rock was the main subject of the project “Ar-

chitectural examination and complex documentation of

Samaipata (Fuerte de Samaipata/Bolivia) site from the

Jacek Kościuk*, Mariusz Ziółkowski**, Bartłomiej Ćmielewski***,

Delfor Ulloa Vidaurre****

Samaipata project

– aim of the research, methodology,

and methods of documentation

Projekt Samaipata

– cel badań, metodologia i metody dokumentacji

World Heritage List”. The rock is covered with a complex

arrangement of terraces, platforms, ramps, niches, water

reservoirs, and channels. Numerous zoomorphic and ge-

ometric petroglyphs are scattered between them.

El Fuerte de Samaipata owes its present form to almost

1200 years of activity of various local pre-Colombian cul-

tures for which the rock was a sacred place (wak’a). The

nal shape of the rock, which today is one of Bolivia’s

most important tourist attractions, was probably carved in

the 15

half ?) or at the beginnings of the 16

centu-

ry, when the Samaipata region was incorporated into the

Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu).

The earliest references to Samaipata come from 16

-cen-

tury Spanish chronicles [1], but it was only in the 1

quar-

ter

of the 19

century that it became of interest for Old

World science thanks to the work of Alcide Dessaline

d’Orbigny [2]. Systematic scientic research only began

in the 20

century [3], [4]. The establishment of the Ar-

chaeological Research Centre in Samaipata (Centro de

Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Samaipata, CIAS) [5]

in 1970 and the activity of German scientists associated

with the University of Bonn [6]–[12] contributed to the

intensication of this research.

Origin of the project

The interest of Polish researchers in the Samaipata site

dates back to the years 1993–1994, when a group of students

* ORCID: 0000-0003-0623-8071. Faculty of Architecture,

Wro cław University of Science and Technology, e-mail: jacek.kosciuk@

pwr.edu.pl

** ORCID: 0000-0003-4137-0799. Centre of Andean Studies of

the University of Warsaw in Cusco (Peru).

*** ORCID: 0000-0002-1035-3905. Faculty of Architecture,

Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

**** Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, Bolivia.

20 Jacek Kościuk, Mariusz Ziółkowski, Bartłomiej Ćmielewski, Delfor Ulloa Vidaurre

at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of War-

saw were invited by Józef Szykulski to visit the site.

Szykulski was a Polish archaeologist from the University

of Wrocław who at that time was a member of the German

Samaipata Archeological Research Project (Proyecto de

Investigación Arqueológica de Samaipata, PIAS) that was

cooperating with the University of Warsaw. Later, one of

the German PIAS researchers, Anja-Kathrin

Meinken,

participated in the work of the Polish research project

known as “Condesuyos” (Arequipa, Peru) in 1999 and

2004. She compared the kallanka of Samaipata with sim-

ilar constructions discovered by the Polish team at the

Inca sites located in the Coropuna and Solimana regions.

These early contacts provided Polish scholars with impor-

tant and valuable information about Samaipata, and raised

their interest in this emblematic site. It is also worth men-

tioning that in the years 2007–2014, a Polish–Italian–Bo-

livian team was carrying out the Tiwanaku–Kantatallita

archaeological project at the site of Tiahuanaco.

In 2014, Mariusz Ziółkowski, the Polish co-director of

the project at Tiahuanaco and the head of the Centre for

Pre-Columbian Studies of the University of Warsaw in

Cusco (CEAC), made a working visit to Samaipata at the

invitation of the then-director of CIAS, Richard Alcázar

de la Fuente. During this visit, the outline of a high-res-

olution 3D documentation project of the entire rock, to-

gether with all the engravings, was created.

The Bolivian side – CIAS and the local authorities of the

Department of Santa Cruz – were aware of similar projects

that had been implemented in recent years by the Polish

team in the National Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu

(Peru) and also of the Polish–Italian–Bolivian project at the

Tiwanaku site. With this background, in November 2014,

CIAS and Frank Herrera Bassta, at that time mayor of Sa-

maipata, issued an ocial invitation to Mariusz Ziółkowski.

He in turn invited Jacek Kościuk – the head of the Labo-

ratory of 3D Scanning and Modeling (LabScan3D) at

Wrocław University of Science and Technology, with whom

the University of Warsaw had previous experience and

achievements in 3D scanning monuments in Egypt, Peru,

and Easter Island, among others – to work on the project.

In June 2015, the National Science Centre of Poland

(NCN) granted nancial support to the project, and the

main beneciary was the Wrocław University of Science

and Technology.

At the beginning of August 2015, Jacek Kościuk and

Mariusz Ziółkowski met with representatives of the local

Samaipata administration and CIAS sta. This resulted in

the signing of a tripartite cooperation agreement between

the municipality of Samaipata, the University of Warsaw,

and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

Fieldwork started in June 2016 and beneted from the

logistical and institutional support of CEAC, as well as

from the great help oered by the Bolivian hosts – both

the local municipality and the sta of CIAS. The contri-

bution of Bolivian archaeologists and, in particular, that

of the Bolivian co-director of the project, Delfor Ulloa

Vidaurre, was also extremely important.

A leading Italian specialist in South American rock

art, Giuseppe Oreci, the director of the Italian Centre

for Pre-Columbian Archaeological Studies and Research

(Centro Italiano di Studi e Ricerche Archeologiche Pre-

colombiane) also joined the project. In turn, German col-

leagues, in particular Albert Meyers, former director of

PIAS, provided the project with the documentation ar-

chived in Bonn, under a cooperation agreement between

the University of Warsaw and the University of Bonn.

Therefore, the results presented in the series of articles

that make up this volume are the eects of internation-

al and multilateral cooperation, whose objective was to

contribute to the study and conservation a valuable monu-

ment on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Main reasons behind starting the project

and its main goals

The initiative to prepare 3D documentation for the sa-

cred rock of the El Fuerte de Samaipata site was due to the

recommendations related to the study and preservation of

the World Heritage Sites as stipulated in the Convention

Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural

Heritage, which was adopted at the 17

General Confer-

ence of UNESCO in Paris on 16

November, 1972.

Article 5 of this document species the following:

To ensure that eective and active measures are tak-

en for the protection, conservation and presentation of

the cultural and natural heritage situated on its territo-

ry, each State Party to this Convention shall endeavour,

in so far as possible, and as appropriate for each coun-

try: […].

Fig. 1. El Fuerte de Samaipata as seen from the south (photo by J. Kościuk)

Samaipata project / Projekt Samaipata 21

3. to develop scientic and technical studies and re-

search and to work out such operating methods as will

make the State capable of counteracting the dangers that

threaten its cultural or natural heritage; […].

5. to foster the establishment or development of na-

tional or regional centres for training in the protection,

conservation and presentation of the cultural and natu-

ral heritage and to encourage scientic research in this

eld [13].

In the specic case of Samaipata and in particular of the

sacred rock, all the governmental and municipal authorities,

scientists, and general public of Bolivia, as well as foreign

scholars, agreed that this unique monument is deteriorat-

ing due to a set of complex and interlaced environmental

and anthropic factors. This deterioration mostly aects the

petroglyphs carved in the rock, as the stone in which the

petroglyphs have been carved is very delicate and soft and

is subject to irreversible erosion. This danger was observed

by the rst scholars who visited and documented Samaipa-

ta [3], [4]. Comparison of photos taken in the 1960s with

the current situation indisputably demonstrates that some of

previously known petroglyphs (for example, the so-called

“Ostrich” [14]) are now completely unrecognisable (Fig. 2).

The hard evidence that geological processes cannot be

stopped must be accepted. The petroglyphs will contin-

ue to be erased. The question is whether this process will

be slow or fast and how we can inuence it. By apply-

ing a series of appropriate measures, we can slow its mo-

mentum to some extent, but it is impossible to stop it, let

alone reverse it. Due to this, it is important to document

the petroglyphs as accurately as possible using the most

advanced techniques in order to provide a lasting testimo-

ny of these signicant vestiges of pre-Hispanic cultures.

This task needs to be completed as soon as possible, as

published studies [15], [11] show that the rapid weather-

ing of the rock is clearly blurring the petroglyphs (Fig. 3).

The reasons for this degradation are not yet fully estab-

lished, but for the assessment of the current situation, the

implementation of precise documentation was considered

a priority.

The main goals of the 3D documentation project were

the following:

– Comprehensive documentation of the entire sacred

rock using 3D surveying techniques (laser scanning and

photogrammetry);

– Registration and detailed documentation of all trac-

es of anthropogenic activity visible on the rock (from

pre-Hispanic petroglyphs to the inscriptions left in the

century by site visitors). This task also included the

3D modeling of the petroglyphs and advanced digital

analysis of the traces already practically invisible to the

naked eye;

– Analysis of the superposition of the petroglyphs and

carvings in order to establish a relative chronology of the

dierent phases of the transformation of the rock;

– Analysis of some environmental factors that aect

the rock, in particular insolation, wind erosion, moisture

(Fig. 4), and the action of lichens (Fig. 5).

The results will serve to establish a detailed account of

the state of the site in the second decade of the 21

cen-

tury, as the basis for future monitoring. They should also

allow the areas of the monument that are most aected

by deterioration to be identied. This in turn may serve

as a basis for the development of practical programs of

protection and preservation.

Methodology of the research and project timetable

From June 2015 to September 2019, the project was

divided into four main phases:

– Literature studies and checking the archive collec-

tions of the University of Bonn, the Commission for

Fig. 2. The place where the petroglyph depicting an ostrich once existed

(photo by J. Kościuk)

Fig. 3. Indecipherable petroglyph probably depicting a puma

(photo by J. Kościuk)

22 Jacek Kościuk, Mariusz Ziółkowski, Bartłomiej Ćmielewski, Delfor Ulloa Vidaurre

Archeaology of Non-European Cultures (Kommission für

Archäologie Außereuropäischer Kulturen, KAAK) and

CIAS (July 2015–May 2016);

– Two seasons of eldwork (June–July 2016 and July

2017) dedicated to collecting surveying and descriptive

documentation;

– Data processing in the LabScan3D computer labora-

tory (September 2016–June 2017, and November 2017–

November 2018);

– Preparation of the nal drawings, reports, and publi-

cations (January 2019–September 2019).

During this time, several conference presentations and

lectures promoting partial project results were also pre-

pared at the following places as well as others:

– South American Archaeology Seminar Institute of

Archaeology, UCL, London 2017;

– III National Rock Art Conference: Heritage of the

Past, Krakow 2017;

– International Conference on Structural Analysis of

Historical Constructions, SAHC 2018, Cusco 2018;

– 58

Annual Meeting of the Institute of Andean Stud-

ies, Berkeley (CA) 2018;

– VI Jornadas de Astronomia Cultural Sociedad In-

teramericana de Astronomia en el Cultura; Simposio: El

proyecto de documentación de la Roca Sagrada de Samai-

pata y de la interpretación de los petróglifos, Samaipata

2018.

Partial project results were also presented at the

UNESCO headquarters in Paris in April 2017 during the

exhibition “Against the Sands of Time. Documentation

and Reconstruction of the World Heritage – the Polish

Experience”, which promoted Polish achievements in

the eld of conservation of sites from the World Her-

itage List, and also in July 2017 at the exhibition for

the 41

Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Com-

mittee in Krakow.

Documentation, surveying,

and analytical methods

Erosion is one of the most important factors aecting

the conservation of archaeological sites and objects. The

shapes carved by humans become progressively faded,

leading to their disappearance. The sites directly exposed

to climatic factors are the most aected by erosion and

cause the biggest loss in historic content. In the last few

decades, public awareness of erosion has increased, which

has resulted in an increase in restoration projects.

Several works have demonstrated the great benet of

3D modeling for heritage objects, especially in terms of

historical analysis, documentation, preservation, and re-

sto ration [16]–[18]. Highly geometrically accurate 3D

digital representation requires all details to be available.

In the last few decades, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)

and close-range photogrammetry (CRP) have been found

to be the best digital technology to eectively document

cultural heritage. These two techniques have been used

in multiple applications. For example, TLS and CRP al-

low degradation to be identied [19], evolution [20] and

deformation to be analysed [21], and documentation to be

created [22]. In comparison to traditional, expert meth-

ods to detect material degradation in historic buildings,

TLS and CRP are far less time-consuming. Accurate 3D

point cloud data deriving from TLS and CRP provide

a very detailed and complete description of objects both

in micro and macro scale. The surveys created using these

two techniques (especially TLS with the addition of data

derived from CRP) are used for gathering information

necessary for the preservation of cultural heritage, archi-

tectural and archaeological studies and analyses [23], and

historical context analysis [24]. Documentation projects

with data fusion are commonly described as case stud-

ies in cultural heritage projects, especially when large or

Fig. 4. Erosion of a petroglyph representing two pumas

(photo by J. Kościuk)

Fig. 5. Lichens on a fragment of the so-called “Big Snake” petroglyph

(photo by B. Kościuk)

Samaipata project / Projekt Samaipata 23

complex scenarios are documented [16], [25]–[28]. Ob-

viously, there are some limitations of the TLS and CRP

techniques, but in fact, these methods are very comple-

mentary [29], [30].

Most projects on complex sites combine dierent data

acquisition methods. A further technique that is also very

valuable is structured light scanning, which is used on

smaller objects, mainly in reverse engineering and mu-

seum collections. Works dedicated to handheld structured

light 3D scanners are focused on the practical assess-

ment of the produced data [31], [32]. The data collected

by such devices are considered more accurate than those

from TLS and CRP.

Another technique that is becoming increasingly im-

portant in archaeological, historical, and architectural re-

search is polynomial texture mapping (PTM), also known

as reectance transformation imaging (RTI). It allows

blurred details caused by erosion and degradation to be

seen clearly, and was developed by researchers from the

Hewlett-Packard laboratory in 2001 [33]. This technique

uses sets of photographs of an object where the camera is

at a xed point and the light source angle is changing. The

results are displayed in a RTI viewer, allowing the user to

interact with the scene by virtually dragging a directional

light source and rendering the light changes in real time.

It is also possible to use a 3D model created using CPR

and TLS with the support of any 3D modeling program

like Bentley MicroStation, Autodesk 3DS or Blender to

emulate the behaviour of a real camera and light source.

In this particular project, hardware and software re-

sources of LabScan3D (Wrocław University of Science

and Technology) were used (Fig. 6).

Research team and acknowledgements

Over three years, almost twenty specialists from dier-

ent countries and various research centres participated in

the project:

– Jacek Kościuk (Wrocław University of Science and

Technology) – director of the project, 3D laser scanning

specialist, and head of LabScan3D;

– Mariusz Ziółkowski (University of Warsaw) – eld

director;

– Delfor Ulloa Vidaurre (Bolivian Ministry of Culture

and Tourism) – project co-director;

– Giuseppe Oreci (Italian Centre for Pre-Columbian

Archaeological Studies and Research) – petroglyphs con-

sultant;

– Rosario Muñóz Risolazo (Italian Centre for Pre-Co-

lumbian Archaeological Studies and Research) – petro-

glyphs consultant assistant;

– Albert Meyers (University of Bonn) – consultant;

– Bartłomiej Ćmielewski (Wrocław University of Sci-

ence and Technology) – drone and photogrammetry expert;

– Anna Kubicka (Wrocław University of Science and

Technology) – 3D laser scanning assistant;

– Teresa Dziedzic (Wrocław University of Science

and Technology) – restoration specialist;

– Izabela Wilczyńska (Wrocław University of Environ-

mental and Life Sciences) – topographer and GIS expert;

– Ciechosław Patrzałek (Wrocław University of Envi-

ronmental and Life Sciences) – drone and photogramme-

try expert;

– Wojciech Bartz (University of Wrocław) – specialist

in petrographic and mineralogical research;

– Janusz Kogut (Cracow University of Technology)

– MES specialist;

– Małgorzata Telesińska (Wrocław University of Sci-

ence and Technology) – 3D laser scanning assistant;

– Maciej Nisztuk (Wrocław University of Science and

Technology) – specialist on PTM/RTI technology;

– Marta Pakowska (Wrocław University of Science

and Technology) – structural light scanning assistant;

– Maria Gąsior (Academy of Art and Design in Wro-

claw) – restoration expert;

– Dominika Sieczkowska (University of Warsaw)

– pro ject assistant;

– Dagmara Socha (University of Warsaw) – project

assistant.

Fig. 6. Hardware and software resources

of LabScan3D used during the project

(elaborated by J. Kościuk)

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Samaipata project / Projekt Samaipata 25

Acknowledgements /Podziękowania

The presented work is part of the research sponsored by the grant giv-

en to the Wrocław University of Science and Technology by the Polish

Na tional Science Centre (grant No. 2014/15/B/HS2/01108). Additio-

nally, the municipality of Samaipata, represented by Mayor Falvio Ló-

pes Escalera, contributed to this research by providing the accommo-

dation during the eldwork in June and July 2016, as well as in July

2017. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Bolivia kindly granted

all necessary permits (UDAM No. 014/2016; UDAM No 060/2017).

The research is conducted in close cooperation with the Centre of

Pre-Columbian Studies of the University of Warsaw in Cusco. Spe-

cialists from other universities and research centres are also joining

the project.

Abstract

The Samaipata project concerns one of Bolivia’s most important monuments – El Fuerte de Samaipata, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This paper

describes the origin of the project, the reasons behind starting it, and its main goals. In addition, the documentation, surveying and analytical methods

used in the project are briey described.

Key words: Bolivia, Samaipata, rock art, UNESCO World Heritage List, remote sensing

Streszczenie

Przedstawiany projekt Samaipata dotyczył jednego z najważniejszych zabytków Boliwii – El Fuerte de Samaipata, prekolumbijskiego stanowiska

archeologicznego wpisanego na Listę Światowego Dziedzictwa UNESCO. W artykule opisano genezę projektu, powody podjęcia tematu oraz jego

główne cele. Ponadto w skrócie opisano zastosowane w projekcie metody dokumentacyjno-pomiarowe i analityczne.

Słowa kluczowe: Boliwia, Samaipata, sztuka naskalna, Lista Światowego Dziedzictwa UNESCO, teledetekcja

Dron pilots at work

(photo by J. Kościuk)

Piloci drona przy pracy

(fot. J. Kościuk)