The Chullpa Q'asa Archaeological Site

The Community of

Visigsa, Bolivia

Project

Background

Casa Ancestral

Community Museum

The Casa Ancestral Archaeological Museum responds to the landscape, local environment and culture. Administered by community members, all net proceeds are dedicated to locally-determined development initiatives. 

​Visigsa is a Quechua-speaking 

community of approximately 700 residents, who are descendants of the original inhabitants of the archaeological site.

Located approximately 45 miles southwest of the city of Potosí, the Chullpa Q’asa archaeological site was occupied in the Formative Period (2000 BP-400 AD). The name “Chullpa Q’asa” probably originated in the 20th century and translates from Quechua as the “Valley of the Tombs,” highlighting the fact that there are numerous burial sites, or “Chullpas,” in the area. The site is among the largest discovered in the immediate region, and is strategically placed between two resource bases: the salt flats of Uyuni and the silver mine of Porco, which was a center of Pre-Hispanic silver production. 

Since 2010, we have been working to promote cultural heritage preservation, archaeological and ethnographic research and community development in the department of Potosí, Bolivia, focusing on the site of Chullpa Q’asa and community of Visigsa.