Where are the ruins?

Ania and I got really excited at the thought of visiting our first Pre-Columbian ruins in northern Argentina. After all this is a region that once thrived under the Inca Empire. We visited two such ruins and I have to say that we were a bit disappointed.

You see, the problem is that archaeologists in Argentina have made decisions which are highly suspect: restore ruins to a point where nothing is left of the original structures or even worse, build totally new (and irrelevant) structures on top of existing ruins.

Of course the tightly packed and perfectly disposed stones and symmetrical mud houses help illustrate how life was 600 years ago, but in so doing archaeologists have removed the “historical” aspect to the ruins. For example, in Tilcara archaeologists have decided to build a massive concrete structure to honor the archaeologists who discovered the ruins at Tilcara. The problem is that the site chosen is right on top of the old ruins of the village temple. From an archeological point of view this was a terrible decision. Honor the archaeologists who made the discovery, yes, but please do so far, very far from existing ruins. Also, mud houses were all heavily retouched to the point where no original stones and mortar were left for the visitor to see. Only the cemetery looked fairly untouched.

Archaeologists are always faced with difficult choices when it comes to restoring and promoting historical sites. They really have to walk a thin line. On the one hand too much restoration can kill imagination and turn a historical site into a slideshow. On the other hand untouched ruins can degrade over time and the site can be lost. Also visitors are rarely impressed by looking at lumps of stones here and there. That’s why most ruins are restored to a certain extent, where the visitor can appreciate the feel and look of genuine ruins while able to size up a settlement thanks to restoration.

It seems that in Tilcara archaeologists have gone all in and restored the village back to its glorious days. It somehow leaves the visitor at a loss as one thought comes to mind: where are the ruins?