This project outlines ongoing efforts to “digitize” archaeological ceramic analysis methods used by the Taraco Archaeological Project in Chiripa, Bolivia. Chiripa is located on the southern shoreline of Lake Titicaca, home to a vibrant indigenous community, and the site of some of the oldest ceremonial and agricultural settlements in the southern Andes. Archaeological work has been conducted in Chiripa since the turn of the century, and ceramic analysts have pioneered now standard techniques for mineralogical and micro-attributional analysis using materials from these and continued excavations. The TAP project has a long history of disseminating analysis techniques to colleagues in South America, and has focused on hand-lens or low magnification work. The main goal of this project has been to introduce new digital visualization technologies, while highlighting the benefits and need for low-computing solutions to archaeological study and preserving a focus on easily reproducible and interactive paper based final products. These include educational printouts and pamphlets provided to community partners, but can also include new forms of paper publication made possibly by digital methods. Such digitized methods include 3-dimensional illustration, simple and accurate volumetric analysis, and the study of surface topography, all using variants of photogrammetry and manipulation of 3D models.
