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September 2008
CALENDARS ARE IN “Currents”
readers will soon be receiving a 2009 Machu Picchu Sacred Center calendar
in the mail. The calendar is a celebration of the native technology of the
Andes. May 2008 2008 CALENDAR AWARDS The 2008 Machu Picchu Calendar earned a record eight awards in the Calendar Marketing Association annual competition. It was given three Gold, one Silver, and four Bronze awards in the categories listed below: World
Calendar Awards (Wall Calendars) National
Calendar Awards (Technical Awards) National
Calendar Awards (Wall Calendars) We appreciate the efforts of photographers Ruth Wright, Ken Wright, Kurt Loptien, and William Allender; designer Todd Clary; printer C & C Offset of Hong Kong; prepress digitizer Iocolor; and editor Sally Kribs. UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE INGENIERIA Dr. Jorge Alva, Dean of Engineering at Peru's Universidad Nacional de Ingenería (UNI) in Lima has asked Ken and Ruth Wright to visit Lima in May. Dean Alva and UNI have published The Machu Picchu Guidebook under license from Ruth, so the Wrights need to be in Lima for a public presentation and book signing by Ruth. While in Lima the Wrights will lecture on native technology at UNI, where Ken is Profesor Honorario. MACHU PICCHU 2009 CALENDAR Thanks
to designer Todd Clary and editor Sally Kribs, the 2009 Machu Picchu
Calendar has been put to bed. After six months of hard work, the calendar
will be printed in Hong Kong and should be ready for distribution in
August. Ken and Ruth Wright were pleased with the creative work of Todd and Sally. April 2008 TIPON TRANSLATION Thanks to the efforts of Fernando Caller of the Universidad Nacional de Ingenería in Lima and representatives at the Universitat de Barcelona, a Spanish translation of Ken Wright's Tipon book will go to publication on April 15. The translation of English engineering terms into Spanish is no mean feat, and we admire the perseverance required to accomplish this. MESA
VERDE TEACHING CANADIAN
DOCUMENTARY In October Ken and Ruth were filmed at Machu Picchu by Der Spiegel of Hamburg. STORMWATER
MAGAZINE The article is about the unexpected problems that can occur in an uncontrolled sampling environment, due to animals, uncooperative weather, malfunctioning equipment, and other surprises. WATER
EDUCATION AWARD Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs gave a wonderful introduction featuring Ken and Ruth history, such as the dramatic circumstances surrounding Ken's marriage proposal to Ruth. Ken proposed in writing from a hospital bed in Austria after a car accident left him seriously injured and unable to talk. March 2008 EDUCATION EFFORTS IN PERU The Peruvian government and Lima universities are pleased with WWE's' last decade of paleohydrological research work. Two water-oriented research books on archaeological sites near Cuzco have already been translated into Spanish by the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI). Additionally, The Machu Picchu Guidebook by Ruth Wright was published by the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Lima in February. The book sale proceeds will go to the newly created UNI Civil Engineering Faculty Fund. WWE is pleased with the warm reception by the Peruvians for our scientific field research, Publications, and hydrological educational effort. January 2008 WORLD BANK SALES Washington, D.C. sales of our 2008 Machu Picchu calendar were a success again this year. Money raised was donated in the World Bank's name to the La Clínica del Pueblo, a Washington, D.C. clinic that provides health care to thousands of low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Latino immigrants. WWE is proud that our photography is sold by the World Bank for charitable purposes. The calendars are also sold at the Denver Art Museum and the Institute for Andean Studies. KUDOS ON GUIDEBOOK The Machu Picchu Guidebook, written by Ruth Wright, was recently called an "indispensable reference for foreign visitors" by Mr. Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde, Minister of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Peru. Through South American Explorer, Amazon.com, and other outlets, the book has sold nearly 75,000 copies. November 2007 HONORS IN PERU Ken and Ruth Wright received the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services from Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez on October 10. A ceremony was held at the Palacio Torre Tagle in Lima for the awarding of the medals. The ceremony was quite formal and in elegant surroundings. The Minister of External Affairs made a nice speech about water and WWE's work in Machu Picchu and Tipon before awarding the Wrights each with a medal. Also in Lima, Ken and Ruth gave paleohydrology lectures on Machu Picchu and Tipon at the National University of Engineering and the Ricardo Palma University. The latter gave Ken an honorary professor award to recognize his research in Peru. DER SPIEGEL FILMING While in Peru in October Ken and Ruth were filmed and interviewed by Der Spiegel at Machu Picchu for a German documentary on Inca water engineering. The film crew recorded many different scenes with Ken related to hydrology and hydraulics. Ruth was filmed at Fountain No. 16, where she discussed the discovery of a fountain and making it flow again. She then recited a Quechua water prayer in High German. October 2007 EARTHQUAKE
FUNDRAISER COSTA
RICA WORKSHOP CALENDARS
AS INCENTIVES BARBEGAL
ARTICLE August 2007
2008 MACHU PICCHU CALENDAR A
WORLD WONDER DURANGO
HERALD ARTICLE July 2007 BARBEGAL IN CIVIL ENGINEERING The June issue of ASCE's Civil Engineering features an article on the "The Millstones of Barbegal" by Wayne Lorenz and Phillip Wolfram. Wayne and Phillip found that the millstones at this 1800-year old Roman archaeological site in France varied greatly in size and design. This suggests that the site may have been used to test millstone design. DR. PATRICIA LYON AT BERKELEY Our heartfelt thanks are extended to Andean scholar Dr. Patricia Lyon at Berkeley, California for her critical review of our final report on Moray. It was Patricia's husband, Dr. John Rowe, who was the first archaeologist to visit and report on the site in 1942. Moray is on the Pampa de Anta just south of the Sacred Valley of the Rio Vilcanota. This third Inca research site of WWE's is a civil engineering wonder. CLIFF HOUSE HYDROLOGY The team of WWE paleohydrologists is in the process of analyzing May field data on the ancient water supply of the Mug House cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde National Park. We thank the staff of Mesa Verde for issuing the research permit and providing us with this opportunity. We also appreciate the services of two archaeologist park rangers who gave up part of their weekends to assist our crew. NEW PUBLICATION IN SPANISH Colleagues of WWE's in Lima report that much headway has been made in the Spanish translation of WWE's Tipon: Water Engineering Masterpiece of the Inca Empire. Sr. Fernando Caller of the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería is planning a late-summer publication and public presentation of the Spanish edition. Tipon was an Inca royal estate, like Machu Picchu, but was established about 250 years earlier, around A.D. 1200. MAIZE POLLEN Dr. John Jones of Washington State University serves as WWE's palynologist (pollen scientist). Archaeology magazine reported in its July/August issue that Jones found 7,000-year-old maize pollen in the lowland site of San Andrés in the Mexican state of Tabasco. Community development commenced in southwestern Colorado with the cultivation of maize about 1000 B.C. Maize is important to botanists the world over, who study the evolution of this plant and preserve its original strains. ST. LOUIS TV DOCUMENTARY Thanks to Lindsey Urbani and Glenn Fishering of Midwest Production Group (MPG), Ken and Ruth Wright traveled to St. Louis on June 13-14 for filming of a documentary on Machu Picchu. The Wright's interviews focused on scientific aspects of Machu Picchu; they helped MPG to avoid the pitfalls of long-held and widespread myths that have been perpetuated about Machu Picchu. They also described Machu Picchu's water system, drainage infrastructure, and Inca construction methods. June 2007 WAYNE'S ROMAN HOLIDAY Wayne
Lorenz has continued his paleohydrological investigations of Roman
aqueducts and ancient water wheels. He returned to Barbegal in May, where
he participated in a "dig" that unearthed another aqueduct
section. BOULDER WATERSHED SCHOOL On May 17, WWE presented a lecture on prehistoric Mesa Verde hydrology to the Watershed School in Boulder. It
was a timely lecture because on May 21, the charter school class left for
a week of special study at Mesa Verde National Park. MACHU PICCHU DOCUMENTARIES Ken and Ruth Wright are participating in two upcoming documentaries on Machu Picchu. One is being produced by the television network run by Der Spiegel magazine in Germany. A Der Spiegel writer was in our Denver office on May 8 conducting interviews. Der Spiegel hopes to film Ken and Ruth at Machu Picchu this summer. The other film is being done by Midwest Production Group of St. Louis, Missouri. Ken and Ruth will travel to St. Louis on June 13 and 14 for filming. PALEOHYDROLOGY BOOKS Various WPI books are getting sales boosts in new markets. Tipon is now being promoted by Amazon.com. At the same time, the American Society of Civil Engineers is now selling the Spanish translation of Machu Picchu on its publication sales web site, and the Mesa Verde bookstore and museum are now offering our two books on prehistoric Indian water harvesting. MESA VERDE STUDY Our team of scientific hydrology researchers studied an ancient water cistern at Mesa Verde National Park on May 12 and 13 under a National Park Service archaeological permit. The cistern served the cliff dwelling of Mug House on Wetherill Mesa during the 1200s until the residents suddenly abandoned their homes before A.D. 1300. We know they left without preparation, because most of their possessions were left behind. We performed numerous hydraulic flow tests from the cliff top, measured the ancient cistern for capacity, collected pollen samples and studied the drainage basin size and soils. Our
team included many WWE staffers plus John Rold, Justice Gregory Hobbs,
Bobbie Hobbs, an NRCS soil scientist and archaeologist David Breternitz.
Two NPS park rangers assisted us on the cliff side work. May 2007 PARK SERVICE LECTURE Ken Wright will kick off Mug House cistern field work at Mesa Verde National Park in May with a lecture at the Park Service's all-employee meeting on May 11. Ken will lecture on Mesa Verde Reservoirs, joined by Ruth Wright, Dr. Jack Smith and Dr. Andrew Earles. The lecture was arranged by Ranger Linda Martin, who is anticipating a full house. ANCIENT ROMAN HYDRAULICS In late May, Wayne Lorenz will be working in the field at the ancient Roman water power site at Barbegal in Southern France. Field work will include mapping a watershed and surveying an ancient Roman stormwater culvert. Instrument surveying will be done within the Barbegal millsite. Wayne will also visit Ostia near Rome, Italy. Ostia was the ancient Roman port city for the Roman capital. Ostia is known for its mills and bakeries. Wayne will be taking dimensions and photographs of the animal-powered millstones there for comparison with Barbegal. After Ostia, Wayne will visit Pompeii to gather hydraulic information on the important Serino aqueduct that served the ancient city. MESA VERDE CISTERN Thanks to the encouragement and cooperation of the Mesa Verde professional archaeological staff, WWE will be in the field in mid-May for paleohydrological studies of the Mug House cistern. Mug House is a Pueblo III cliff dwelling located 200 yards from the impressive 13th century cistern which was filled by water spilling from an overhanging cliff. Mug House is on Wetherilll Mesa at the southwest corner of Mesa Verde National Park. RESEARCH ARTICLES IN PUBLICATION WPI has been notified that technical articles by Wayne Lorenz on the Barbegal Mill site in Southern France will be published in Civil Engineering and Roads & Bridges. The article to appear in Civil Engineering will be about the fact that the millstones at the 2nd century flour mill varied in size and form. The article appearing in Roads & Bridges will be about the restoration of bridges by the ancient Romans. Wayne has collected a lot of substantive evidence. SAUDI ARAMCO MAGAZINE The spring 2007 issue of Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah (Pleasant Days) publication contains a nice article on Ken and Ruth Wright's employment in Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and at Machu Picchu over the past thirteen years. Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah is the quarterly publication of Ken Wright's former employer Aramco, which was partially owned by Exxon, Texaco, Chevron, and others. The article contains some great photos, old and new, on the cover, back, and inside. There is also a photo of Ken's recent Aramco reunion on page 10. If any Currents readers would like to receive a copy of this publication, please call Sally at (303) 480-1700. TIPON BOOK TRANSLATION Following the success of the Machu Picchu book translation, Ken Wright's book, Tipon: Water Engineering Masterpiece of the Inca Empire, is being translated into Spanish as well. The effort is led by the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería. These translations are important to the people of Peru to provide details on their proud engineering heritage. April 2007 PERUVIAN RECEPTION Ken and Ruth Wright attended a function held at the residence of the Peruvian Ambassador, his Excellency, Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos, in Washington, D.C. The event was a celebration of the naming of Tipon and Machu Picchu as International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. The Ambassador announced that Ken and Ruth will each receive the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services by Supreme Resolution of Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez as recommended by the Council of the Order and the Foreign Minister. 2007 CALENDAR AWARDS The Calendar Marketing Association has announced the 2007 National and World Calendar Award Competition results. Our Machu Picchu calendar was nominated for the top award and received six others. " Silver-Best Subject/World " Silver-Best Color Separation/World " Bronze-Best Scenic Photograhy/World " Gold-Best Non-profit/National " Silver-Best Scenic Photography/National " Bronze-Best Graphic Design/National We were proud to receive these awards, facing such stiff competition as entries by the Utah Office of Tourism, the Vatican, the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Rand Corporation. Kudos go to calendar photographers Ruth and Ken Wright, Kurt Loptien, and Grosvenor Merle-Smith, designer Todd Clary, coordinator Patti Pinson and Hong Kong printer C & C Offset. March 2007 2007 CALENDARS Our 2007 Machu Picchu calendar has been entered into the annual national and world-wide competition sponsored by the National Calendar Marketing Association. For 2006, WPI and WWE won four awards, including the world Gold Medal by WPI for best non-profit wall calendar. Most of us consider the 2007 calendar, designed by Todd Clary and coordinated by Patti Pinson, to be the best one of the last 11 years. BILL LIPE HONORED We were pleased to see a copy of a new book about our friend, archaeologist William Lipe, Tracking Ancient Footsteps, edited by R.G. Matson and Timothy Kohler. Mr. Lipe is a professor at Washington State University who has worked extensively in south-western and conservation archaeology. His support of our Mesa Verde work has been invaluable to us. The book is available through amazon.com. JOHNSON BOOKS Publisher Mira Perrizo of Johnson Books reports that the 2004 second edition of The Machu Picchu Guidebook by Ruth Wright is "flying out the door" with major sales to amazon.com and via shelf sales by Barnes and Noble, nationally. The book is Johnson Books' best-selling publication. Johnson Books did a great job of production, using high-quality paper stock and a good insert of colored photographs. PERU AMBASSADOR'S RECEPTION A gala reception at the residence of Ambassador Eduardo Ferrero Costa of Peru will be held in Washington on March 8 to celebrate the recent landmark designations for Machu Picchu and Tipon. Both places in Peru are WWE hydrological research sites. Ken and Ruth Wright will participate in the celebration and hope to call attention to the engineering capabilities of the Inca. February 2007 INSTITUTE
FOR ANDEAN STUDIES CU
BARBEGAL LECTURE January 2007 POMPEII December 2006 SPANISH
MACHU PICCHU BOOK BOULDER
BOOK SIGNING BARBEGAL
ARTICLE IN NEWSLETTER POJAQUE
PUEBLO November 2006 NEW
WORLD'S RICHEST TOMB TIPON
HOLIDAY LECTURE INCA
STUDIES AT SEA October 2006 ATLANTA
LANDMARK CEREMONY UNIVERSIDAD DE INGENERÍA Thanks to Dr. Jorge Alva Hurtado, head of the graduate school and Senor Fernando Caller of the Universidad Nacional de Ingenería of Lima, Peru, Ken Wright's top-selling ASCE book, Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel will be published in Spanish by November. Ken and Ruth met Dr. Alva and Señor Caller in Atlanta in September to review the initial printing, which was found to be outstanding. UNI plans to get the book into the hands of young Peruvians to help them appreciate their rich heritage. September 2006 BOOK
SIGNING IN WASHINGTON D.C. 7
NEW WORLD WONDERS 2nd
INTERNATIONAL LANDMARK COLORADO
HISTORICAL SOCIETY DENVER
ART MUSEUM ANCIENT
ROMAN ENGINEERING August 2006 INTERNATIONAL
LANDMARK HAPPY
NEW YEAR! WATER
MYSTERIES OF MESA VERDE TIPON
BOOK IS AVAILABLE July 2006 SOUTH
AMERICAN EXPLORER NOTE
FROM TIM WIRTH WORLD
BANK June 2006 CHAD TAYLOR COVER PHOTO The
spring/summer issue of South American Explorer (Ithaca, New York) features
a Wright Water Engineers photo on the cover by hydrogeologist Chad Taylor.
Chad was sent to Moray, Peru, for this special photo opportunity. SOUTHERN FRANCE RESEARCH Wayne Lorenz performed additional field observations at the Barbegal mill and aqueduct site in Provence, France in May. Wayne was assisted by Claire Barthe, 2006 summer intern with WWE. Wayne and Claire performed field surveying to determine the hydraulic engineering used by the Romans at the mill site. Measurements were also obtained on a unique aqueduct crossing of a valley. It was observed that the Roman engineers used large rock armoring on the upstream portion of the arched aqueduct section. Wayne also made a presentation on the engineering aspects of Barbegal to the staff at the Musee de l'a Arles et de la Provence Antiques in Arles. He has been invited back to present this information at the museum's exposition in the summer of 2007. May 2006 BARBEGAL
LECTURE AT DMNS April 2006 CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE Andrew Earles was pleased to provide a presentation on Machu Picchu to the Denver Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). Denver Chapter President Kendy Cusick-Rindone commended Andrew for his "excitement and passion" for the topic, and said that many CSI members would like to visit Machu Picchu. CALENDAR HONORS WPI's 2006 Machu Picchu Calendar received awards in several categories in the 2006 National and World Calendar Awards. We had some very prestigious competition, both national and international, such as Porsche, Audi, McMeel Publishing, and other widely known companies/publishers. The calendar is the collaborative effort of Ken and Ruth Wright, archivist Patricia Pinson, designer Todd Clary and our Hong Kong printer C & C Offset Printing. TIPON BOOK Thanks to Betsy Kulamer and her colleagues at ASCE Press in Reston, Virginia, our new book, Tipon: Water Engineering Masterpiece of the Inca Empire, should be available in May. The book is well-illustrated, with some 200 photos, diagrams, and maps that show the genius of the prehistoric Inca when it comes to water management and irrigation conjunctive use. People who like exquisite stonework and the sight and sound of falling water will not be disappointed. Tipon is just outside of Cusco and can be visited by taxi in half a day. The book, in many ways, can serve as a guidebook for the discriminating traveler. February 2006 POPULAR CALENDARS WPI has been pleased to note how much our Machu Picchu calendars get around! Unexpected thank-yous have come, via the Peru General Consul, from Mayors Rivera (Colorado Springs) and John Hickenlooper (Denver); the Nebraska Secretary of State, John Gale; and Laurel Alpert of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. We have also heard from Professor Jonathan Kent of the California Archaeological Institute; staff at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; and a couple of distinguished-looking strangers in the Berkeley Hotel Durant lobby who received their calendar from the Peruvian Embassy in Washington. INSTITUTE FOR ANDEAN STUDIES The 46th annual meeting of the Institute for Andean Studies took place at the University of California (Berkley) on January 6 and 7. WPI members Ken and Ruth Wright were in attendance. The 150-member assembly discussed current archaeological research efforts in Peru, ranging from 3,500-year-old sites to the later Inca period. Ken and Ruth found the textile lectures to be especially valuable because of the iconographic stories that can be interpreted from the weaving. Information on the earliest known irrigation works in the Western Hemisphere from 4,000 BC was of particular interest to Ken and Ruth. January 2006 GOOGLE US!! We were all pleased to note that "Googling" the phrase "reservoir paleohydrology" results in a lengthy list topped by two links to our own website. We are glad to be a part of the professional dialogue on this topic! PERUVIAN CONSUL GENERAL Ken Wright received a nice note from Peruvian Cónsul General Marita Landaveri thanking him for Machu Picchu calendars. The Cónsul General has sent them to governors, mayors and other officials in the seven states of her jurisdiction. MACHU PICCHU DESIGNATION WPI was delighted that the History and Heritage Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers took an important action on Machu Picchu. Lou Graef of the committee notified us that Machu Picchu was approved for designation as an "International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark." This will be the first Pan-American archaeological site to be so honored. TIPON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE The WPI paleohydrologic study of the Inca archaeological site of Tipon is the subject of a new ASCE Press book to be published in May 2006. Tipon is an Inca engineering marvel dating from ancient times. Earlier petroglyphs there date from 1000 BCE, although Tipon as we know it was started in AD 1400. The new book will be illustrated with more than 200 photographs, maps and field sketches. Hiram Bingham from Yale photographed the site for National Geographic during his visit in 1912 following his discovery of Machu Picchu. ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS The Association of Engineering Geologists held its annual Christmas dinner at the School of Mines on December 9. Ken and Ruth Wright provided a spirited and entertaining lecture on prehistoric hydrology for the many attendees. Of interest to the geologists were the regional faults, the volcanic Rumicolca formation and the extensive Maras formation that contains gypsum. The White granite and andesite building stone were described, along with the perennial Machu Picchu spring. December 2005 DOWNTOWN ROTARY The Denver downtown Rotary Club met at the Denver Athletic Club on December 1 with near-record attendance. Ken Wright was the lunch speaker on prehistoric engineering at Machu Picchu. Nearly half of the attendees raised their hands when Ken asked who had ever been there. Ken extolled the modern-day benefits of studying history so that we can be better prepared for climatic adversity. THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION Daniel Jordan, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in Virginia, contacted WPI to say he has placed a number of our paleohydrological publications in the Jefferson Library. Jordan invited Ken Wright to Monticello to compare stewardship notes. JAPANESE VIDEO DOCUMENTARY We were pleased with Eriko Rowe's request that WPI assist with a Japanese documentary film on Machu Picchu. Eriko's company is planning an April filming and a 2007 release. Tens of thousands of Japanese tourists annually enjoy the marvel of Machu Picchu. October 2005 PERSONNEL OFF TO PERU The little studied archaeological site of Moray is the object of the WPI hydrology team's next visit to Peru. During the second week of October, Ken and Ruth Wright and Chad Taylor will join our Peruvian resident archaeological colleagues, Dr. Alfredo Valencia and Señor Ives Bejar, and biologist Señorita Esther Pumaccahua. Moray is an Inca enigma because of its three huge, perfect, circular terrace systems that stairstep down deep into the earth. It is thought to be a pre-Columbian irrigated agricultural site for testing strains of maize and quinoa. THE MESA VERDE WORLD The well-published author David Noble has submitted a new book on Mesa Verde to SAR Press. WPI has a piece in Noble's book on ancient water storage and hydrology. The book should be in print by Mesa Verde's Centennial in Spring 2006. September 2005 SUCCESSFUL TRIP TO FRANCE Wayne Lorenz and intern Phillip Wolfram have returned from a successful research trip to the ancient Roman water-powered mill in Barbegal, France. New information was obtained which will lead to answers about the ancient Roman's knowledge of hydraulic design principles. Wayne and Phillip also enjoyed the opportunity to meet several local experts while they were there. CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARK U.S. Bureau of Reclamation engineer Richard Wiltshire and Ken Wright are helping Ramiro Matos of the Smithsonian Institution to have Machu Picchu designated an ASCE International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The process is a long and arduous one. INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL Jeanne Rubin, Director of the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, has asked Ken Wright to provide video documentaries on Machu Picchu and Mesa Verde for the 2006 Indigenous Film Festival. The 2005 Indigenous Film Festival will be held at the Starz FilmCenter, 900 Auraria Parkway, from October 6th to 9th. Tickets will be available in September from the Institute (303-744-9686 or www.iiirm.org) and at the Starz box office. NEW BOOKS IN PROCESS Patricia Pinson and Sally Kribs, our in-house Archivist and Technical Editor, respectively, have processed two new books for publication. The first is Ancient Water Harvesting at Mesa Verde, currently being published by Johnson Books in Denver. This is actually a revised edition of an earlier book with changes and enhancements suggested by National Park Service staff. The second is a book on Tipon, an Inca site near Cusco that is a virtual water garden, with conjunctive use of irrigation water and the finest terrace walls in all of Peru. AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE Editor Michael Bawaya of American Archaeology Magazine has informed WPI that the September issue will have a nice story on WPI research at Mesa Verde, complete with an artist's rendering of a prehistoric reservoir in operation and numerous WPI photos. STORMWATER MAGAZINE ARTICLE Currents readers should have received a complimentary copy of the September/October issue of Stormwater, which includes an article on Mesa Verde sedimentation by Ken Wright, Eric Bikis and Ernest Pemberton. WPI congratulates Stormwater editor Janice Kasperson on a job well done! August 2005 YALE PEABODY MUSEUM We are pleased that Kathleen Sullivan of the Yale Peabody Museum is using WPI's Machu Picchu photography for new color t-shirts and illustrated coffee mugs sold in the museum gift shop. The award-winning scenic photography by Ruth and Ken Wright, Gary Witt and Kurt Loptien will look good on the gift items. WILLIAMSBURG LECTURE The July 21 keynote luncheon lecture in Williamsburg, Virginia was well attended. Ken described pre-historic water development in the new world. He covered Tiwanaku, Machu Picchu, Aztecs, Maya and Mesa Verde. On July 22, Everett Springer, Ken, and Andrew Earles presented professional papers on Los Alamos National Laboratory hydrology. AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE Tamara Stewart, Michael Bawaya, Vicki Singer and Charlotte Cobb with American Archaeology magazine are doing a story about WPI/WWE research for their September issue. The story will cover WPI/WWE's 11 years of research at Mesa Verde National Park and the extraordinary findings related to ancient water handling circa AD 750-1180. Charlotte is doing an artistic portrayal of Far View Reservoir in about AD 1050, complete with women gathering water and men dredging sediment. Vicki is handling the many photographs and Tamara and Michael are doing the writing. July 2005 MESA VERDE'S CENTENNIAL YEAR Ken Wright was delighted to participate in the celebration of Mesa Verde National Park's 100th year by providing a summer lecture on Pueblo II reservoirs on June 17. Ken was invited by Linda Martin and the Mesa Verde National Park staff to present the lecture. Ken's presentation was open to the public and park staff and tourists. Ken presented a detailed explanation of the four archaeological reservoirs that we have studied over the last 11 years. He also described the sites' designation as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Ken is always pleased to see the interest his lectures generate in the engineering skills of the Ancestral Puebloans. June 2005 COLORADO, MOTHER OF RIVERS The newly published book by Justice Gregory Hobbs is a must-read for water people and Colorado history buffs. The 188 pages move fast; it is hard to put down once the cover is opened. WPI was pleased at the several poems and short pieces that relate to our scientific paleohydrology research on four reservoirs at Mesa Verde National Park. MACHU PICCHU 2006 CALENDAR Thanks to our printing team at C & C Printing in Hong Kong and calendar editor Patricia Pinson, the 2006 Machu Picchu calendars are in and promise to be our best yet. We have already been receiving calls from the World Bank and the University of Wisconsin for additional copies. Calendar photography is by Ken and Ruth Wright from the 2004 Machu Picchu research expedition. During this trip, a new trail was found and four important sites were excavated with the assistance of WWE resident archaeologist Dr. Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. Currents readers can expect to receive their calendars in June for 2006 scheduling. If you need an extra copy please call Deana at 303-480-1700 and she'll get it right out to you. AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE Tamara Stewart of American Archaeology Magazine was given a tour of four ancient Mesa Verde Reservoirs by Park Ranger/Archaeologist Jim Kleidon and Ken and Ruth Wright on May 21. Ms. Stewart is writing an illustrated piece on the four Wright archaeological sites that were dedicated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004. Her story will be published in September. The all-day expedition included remote areas of Mesa Verde. Ranger Kleidon was helpful and knowledgeable in assisting Ruth, Eric and Ken with explanations of water handling in AD 750-1180. Fortunately, Dr. David Breternitz, Dean of Southwestern Archaeology and master of potsherd identification, joined the WPI group and explained the type and age of the pottery pieces scattered on the ground. COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB The May 18 gala event at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden centered on an illustrated lecture on the water wonders of the prehistoric Mesa Verde people by Ken and Ruth Wright. The 140 attendees of the swank party at headquarters are the long-term Colorado Mountain Club members. Ken is past president of the state CMC and both he and Ruth have served as chairs of the Boulder group. WATER FOR ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS Thanks to Johnson Books of Boulder and Mira Perrizo, we will have a second book published on the water engineering of the prehistoric people of Mesa Verde. The publication will be laid out in a manner that highlights our relevant maps and drawings, along with about 100 photographs of the archaeological sites. The hydrological research was supported by four Colorado Historical Society grants, thanks to a supportive staff headed by Susan Collins and Georgiana Contiguglia. IMPACT MAGAZINE We hope all Currents readers received their complementary issue of Impact Magazine, for which Ken had the privilege of being guest editor. If you did not receive yours, or need another, please contact Deana at 303-480-1700. TULSA MUSEUM The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa will be the venue for two scientific lectures by Ken and Ruth Wright on June 3 and 4. The Wrights will showcase Machu Picchu's beauty, its water supply and its drainage systems on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon Ken and Ruth will present a lecture aimed at senior citizens entitled "Machu Picchu, the Sacred Center." ARLES, FRANCE WWE President Wayne Lorenz and intern Phillip Wolfram are planning a summer scientific research expedition to the Roman archaeological site of Barbegal at Arles, France. Wayne and Phillip plan to take measurements and look for evidence of the ancient canal. Barbegal is a 2nd century grain processing mill that had sixteen waterwheels that turned sixteen huge stone grinding wheels. Water power was derived from a 35-mile-long aqueduct that collected water from springs on the north side of the Alpilles Mountains. May 2005 CLIFF DWELLING CISTERNS WPI will perform a new research study at Mesa Verde National Park. The very first cliff house photographed by William Henry Jackson of the Hayden survey in 1875 was a two-story ancestral Puebloan house lying outside Park boundaries. Jackson described a cistern there, but Ken Wright's research indicated there is not one. This has provoked a scientific interest in cliff house cisterns and their specific characteristics and water supply sources. MVNP Research Archaeologist Larry Nordby reported to Ken Wright that the Park would support WPI research into this issue. This water investigation into the AD 1100-1300 period would complement our ongoing hydrological research of the AD 750-1100 period. CIVIL ENGINEERING AWARD The American Society of Civil Engineers will present a Lifetime Achievement award to Ken Wright in Anchorage, Alaska on May 18. ASCE will honor Wright for "service to the water resources profession" based on original civil engineering research on native Americans at Mesa Verde and Machu Picchu. PALEOHYDROLOGY FOR IMPACT Ken Wright and Sally Kribs have been busy finalizing materials for Ken's stint as guest editor of May's Impact Magazine. His issue will focus on ancient civil engineering, with articles on Barbegal, Mesa Verde, Machu Picchu and Olympia, written by Wayne Lorenz, Andrew Earles, David Foss and himself. MESA VERDE REPORT COPYRIGHT The Library of Congress notified Ken Wright that it has registered the copyright for our report on the paleohydrology of Mesa Verde's Box Elder Reservoir, Site 5MV4505 in Prater Canyon. By copyrighting the report, the research results become known, and available, to the scientific community. The report can be freely copied and used without permission according to statements we included in the report. MESA VERDE MEDIA EVENT National interest in WPI's scientific hydrological research at Mesa Verde was piqued when the four reservoir sites we studied were named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004. A tour of the reservoir sites will be the focus of a visit to Mesa Verde National Park by writer Tamara Stewart of American Archaeological Magazine. Christine Aschwangen, a writer for Smithsonian Magazine, is also expected to join the tour. Ken Wright will lead the tour with David Breternitz. PREHISTORIC IRRIGATION Next September, Ken and Ruth will be exploring the prehistoric Inca irrigated agricultural site of Moray in the Sacred Valley. The site is known for its geometrically precise and aesthetic engineering. Moray is a great archaeological complex, comprised of a system of platforms and enormous, perfect-circle terraces that overlap in the shape of a gigantic theater. These beautiful terraces formed an agricultural laboratory in which the Inca performed pre-Columbian agricultural research on maize and quinoa. The site was inspected in March by Justice Gregory Hobbs who pronounced it to be an engineering masterpiece. John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery channel, expressed that it looked like something intended to be viewed from the heavens. Dr. Gordon McEwan, an eminent Andean scholar, said that Moray is a site that needs to be studied because so little is known about it. April 2005 CALENDAR AWARDS WPI's 2005 Machu Picchu calendar won a national prize in the Calendar Marketing Association's "most original" category. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois took first place in this category. Under the world calendar category competition, we received an award for best graphic design. In the past, we have won awards for best scenic photography, but for 2005 we chose to use artwork by the National Geographic magazine. Overall top winners included Mutual of Omaha and the Utah Travel Council. If you need another 2005 calendar, just call Deana at 303-480-1700. MESA VERDE ANCIENT RESERVOIRS With the issue of "censorship" of Ken Wright's book on Mesa Verde, as reported in American Archaeology and Science magazines in recent months, Ken will republish with Johnson Books. The censorship question arose due to use of the word "Anasazi." Some tribes object to using that word, preferring instead "ancestral Puebloans." Thanks to Johnson Books, the new publication will not contain the word. March 2005 COLORADO HISTORY MUSEUM WPI staffers highly recommend the "Ancient Voices" exhibit of the Colorado History Museum at 13th and Broadway in Denver. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings are featured. The exhibit is a delight for anyone who has been to Mesa Verde as well as those who might want to visit the archaeological site. Museum staff members are justly proud of this captivating production. Ken Wright's Anasazi book is on sale at the museum's bookstore for $15. AMAZON.COM CARRIES OUR BOOKS Amazon.com is selling four items on the Web regarding WPI's paleohydrologic field research. They are:
TULSA MUSEUM LECTURES WPI is scheduled to present two lectures in June at Gilcrease-The Museum of the Americas in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa has Yale's popular Machu Picchu exhibit for the March-June period. Ruth and Ken Wright will present lectures the evening of June 3 and afternoon of June 4. Book signing sessions will follow both lectures. SCIENCE MAGAZINE Everyone at WPI was pleased to learn of a telephone call from Mary Buchanan, a writer for Science. Ms. Buchanan inquired about our book Water For the Anasazi and its status with the Mesa Verde National Park bookstore. February 2005 AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE WPI thanks American Archaeology Magazine for a fine article on our hydrological research at Mesa Verde National Park. SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE We were happy to hear from the Smithsonian that they are contemplating writing an article on the four remarkable reservoirs and our research at Mesa Verde. We led the scientific work there for the last 10 years. The sites were officially designated as National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in September 2004. FORT COLLINS LECTURE Dave Foss was happy to describe our Machu Picchu successes on January 20 in Fort Collins. Dave spoke to members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, who were especially interested in WPI's engineering research over the past 11 years. January 2005 COLORADO HISTORY MUSEUM EXHIBIT The Colorado History Museum at 13th and Broadway will unveil a new exhibit January 28 on prehistoric Indians of Colorado. The spectacular exhibit will feature an abundance of priceless artifacts from the Apishapa Tribe of southeast Colorado and the Mesa Verde people. WWE/WPI is proud to sponsor the Mesa Verde portion of the exhibit. That exhibit will include cliff houses, storerooms, wonderful pots, tools, and even baskets that the Colorado legislature bought more than 100 years ago. MACHU PICCHU CALENDARS If Currents readers would like another 2005 Machu Picchu calendar or two, just call our receptionist, Deana, at 303-480-1200. We'll mail them out promptly! This calendar was prepared with assistance from the National Geographic magazine in return for help WPI provided to them in 2002. The magazine loaned us their digitized artwork representing the way Machu Picchu appeared in June of AD 1530. We had earlier handled the technical side of the portrayal and served as eyes and ears for the magazine's artist. SANTA ROSA PRESS DEMOCRAT The local newspaper in Santa Rosa, California (in the Bay area) printed a nice article about the work of WPI at Mesa Verde. The article, with a photograph of Mummy Lake, extolled the industriousness of the Anasazi and their ability to harvest water. December 2004 CHOKEPUKIO DISCOVERIES Archaeologist Gordon McEwan, a WPI colleague and long-time Andean scholar, really struck it rich last summer at a site near Cusco. He published his 2004 excavation report, following completion of his eleventh season at Chokepukio. The site was occupied from 400 BC to the time of the Incans, some 1,900 years! Dr. McEwan learned much about the origins of the Incans after carefully analyzing 32 bodies last summer. He excavated 9 Cappccocha sacrifice burials that contained remarkable discoveries. One burial site contained a 10-inch silver statue and five beautifully designed ceramic plates. Undamaged aryballus (Incan jugs) and a pot along with other ceramic vessels, gold chains and pins, textiles, and a golden llama are just part of what he excavated for detailed study. Ruth and Ken Wright visited his excavation in June 2004 for hydraulic studies, a few days before the special burials were found. DENVER ART MUSEUM EXHIBIT Ruth and Ken Wright recommend a visit to the Tiwanaku Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. The people of Tiwanaku were masters of water management, irrigation, and agriculture! The Wrights journeyed to Bolivia this fall and visited Tiwanaku on the south shore of Lake Titicaca. The Tiwanaku Empire had collapsed due to a long-lasting drought that began in AD 950. Without surplus food production, the central authority became irrelevant as people reverted to subsidence farming. GREG HOBBS BOOK SIGNING Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs has been a contributor to and worked as a field research expert for the Wright Paleohydrological Institute. He recently wrote the book: In Praise of Fair Colorado, which addresses the practice of poetry, history, and judging. Justice Hobbs will sign copies of his book at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Cherry Creek on December 3 at 7:30 P.M. FIELD RESEARCH SPIN-OFF WPI was pleased when Dr. Douglas Comer of Baltimore contacted us about joining his world monument site management team for a job in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Dr. Comer is a former National Park Service specialist in management planning. His most recent work was in Jordan for the fabled Petra site. DENVER ART MUSEUM MAP We were happy to hear that Father Hoverstock of St. Johns liked WPI's map of Machu Picchu at the Denver Art Museum. He visited the museum with a group, saw the map, and studied it further but missed the adjacent exquisite ceramics display. Our 8-foot-long map hangs in the fourth floor New World Exhibit. November 2004 WORLD BANK The technical lecture given on Inca engineering methods at the World Bank on October 13 emphasized the many things that the World Bank can learn from prehistoric civil engineers. A master plan for the Urubamba River valley from Pisac to Machu Picchu is underway by the World Bank. Ruth and Ken Wright's lecture on slope stability, rock falls, local sewer plants, and Machu Picchu operations was helpful to the World Bank's staff. CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARK The September dedication of four prehistoric reservoirs in Mesa Verde resulted in good press in technical newsletters for the Mesa Verde National Park. People are interested in the story of how the ancient engineering works were built. Archaeological Magazine has already contacted Ken Wright. Linda Towle, chief of the Research Division at the park, opened the ceremony with an explanation of WPI's nine years of hydrological research on the prehistoric water structures. Ruth Wright, who participated in the dedication ceremonies, said that the religious blessing of the sites by Hopi elders was especially significant because they are descendants of the Mesa Verde people. GEOTECHNICAL SEMINAR Ken Wright gave the luncheon lecture on October 14 for assembled geotechnical engineers at the Stapleton Plaza Hotel. The meeting was a Denver biannual event to exchange practical geotechnical technology and catch up on common issues. His lecture consisted of a fast-moving illustrated story of reservoir building and operations by the ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde. Ken explained that there is much we can learn from ancient people. VIRGINIA TECH LECTURE Two October lectures by Ruth and Ken Wright at Virginia Tech-one to the Architecture School's faculty and the other to an art history class-were well received. The lecture on Machu Picchu explained the sensational architectural beauty and geometric balance of the prehistoric site that was built in harmony with the environment. PALEOHYDROLOGICAL INSTITUTE The Wright Paleohydrological Institute (WPI) will launch a public fundraising effort in November and December. The goal is to help generate a wide body of support for the institute's study of water use and water handling by ancient people. The WPI is a public foundation, and under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rule, it must be publicly supported. Major donors are strictly limited under the rules. For the WPI to qualify, 34 percent of all income must come from contributors giving 2 percent or less each of the total budget. While the IRS rule sets a high bar, it also means that the work has the support of a wide group of people. DURANGO LECTURE The October dinner lecture for a Colorado Archaeological Society meeting in Durango was a success, according to Pete Foster of WWE. He said that Ken Wright's illustrated story of prehistoric reservoir building at Mesa Verde brought scientific research into focus and expanded general appreciation for the early people of Mesa Verde. The Colorado Historical Society funded the multi-project research. October 2004 MESA VERDE DEDICATION Four of WPI's research projects were dedicated as National Civil Engineering Historic Landmarks at Mesa Verde National Park on September 26. The dedication ceremony, held at Far View Reservoir, attracted various members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and National Park Service officials. Several of Ken Wright's research colleagues attended: Ernie Pemberton, David Breternitz, Pete Foster, Ryan Unterreiner, and Richard Wiltshire. SPANISH TRANSLATION WPI thanks Senor Fernando Caller of the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) in Lima for handling the translation into Spanish of Ken Wright's book on Machu Picchu. The UNI will publish the book in Peru with an intended wide distribution to young people. September 2004 DAM SAFETY KEYNOTE LECTURE Those attending the annual meeting of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials in Phoenix will learn about prehistoric dams. On September 27, Ken Wright will provide the keynote lecture to the national gathering. Ken will describe WPI's 10 years of scientific research at Mesa Verde National Park. We studied four reservoirs there that date from AD 750 to 1180. ATTACK OF THE ANDEAN CONDORS Five huge Andean condors attacked WPI's Andrew Earles while he surveyed on the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain in June. Displaying a wingspan of up to 10 feet, the huge black birds repeatedly swooped down near Andrew as he worked. A condor nest was likely nearby. Remembering Shakespeare's advice ("discretion is the better part of valor"), Andrew retreated from the summit after capturing the birds on film. August 2004 TIPON BOOK GOES TO PUBLISHER Following a 1-year research and writing effort, Ken Wright submitted his manuscript for Tipon, a Civil Engineering Marvel along with 200 photographs and figures. Ken describes Tipon as a water garden and an estate for Incan nobility dating back to about AD 1400. Surface water and groundwater were used conjunctively to irrigate the finest terraces in all of Peru. The Incas also captured and stored solar energy to ward off nighttime frosts at the 12,000-foot elevation, and there was plenty of water for experimental crops. The enclave covers 500 acres of volcanic soil and is encircled by a huge defensive wall. On the mountaintop above Tipon are fine petroglyph remains from about 4000 BC. LIMA NEWSPAPER ARTICLE One of Peru's leading newspapers printed a long article in June about WPI's research at Machu Picchu. The article favorably reported on basic engineering research by our staff members over the last 11 years. A colored photograph of Ruth and Ken Wright accompanied the article along with the map supplement they helped develop. July 2004 LIMA TECHNICAL LECTURES Thanks to the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) of Lima, Ken Wright delivered two technical lectures in June that were well attended by students and faculty. The first was at the Lima San Geronimo Institute, where more than 600 people were packed into two lecture halls. The following evening, Ken presented a more detailed lecture at UNI that described the prehistoric hydraulic success of the Incas. The UNI dean of architecture presented Ken with a diploma. Next, the dean of civil engineering awarded Ruth Wright a similar diploma for her Machu Picchu Guidebook, which extols the amazing works of Incan civil engineers. NEW INCA TRAIL After hiking up the ancient trail we discovered in 2002, which leads up to the high southeast ridge of Machu Picchu Mountain, our field team crossed over the ridge into unexplored territory about two weeks ago. Dave Foss, Ken Wright, Alexander Merle-Smith, two macheteros, and an archaeologist cut through thick brush and trees and discovered an important Inca trail that had lain hidden for 500 years! After news of the discovery reached Dr. Alfredo Valencia, the Peruvian scholar judged the purpose of the trail to be for moving troops quickly through the Andean high country. MESA VERDE MIGRATION What happened to the 5,000 to 8,000 Anasazi people who left Mesa Verde between AD 1250 and 1300? Well, one group went to Pinnacle Rock in southern New Mexico to build a new community based on land, water, and maize. They settled on a nicely defensible 100-foot-high rhyolite butte with lush meadows below, where maize could be irrigated. We know this because of ongoing studies by Stephen Lekson of the University of Colorado. Carbon 14 dating on maize, coupled with 5,200 pottery sherds, indicated successful relocation and community development there. The midden even shows us what they ate for dinner. June 2004 MESA VERDE RESERVOIRS The Board of Directors of the American Society of Civil Engineers approved four WPI research sites as National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. The board action occurred at their May meeting. The four sites in Mesa Verde National Park date from AD 750 to 1180. They represent the efforts of generations of industrious ancestral Puebloans-mostly of the early Pueblo I and II periods. WPI staff members and colleagues have been working at Mesa Verde as volunteers since 1995. Many researchers have participated in all of the field research efforts, and to them we tip our hats! PREHISTORIC CIVIL ENGINEERING Thanks to diligent work by Patti Pinson and Sally Kribs, the publisher received a manuscript for Ken Wright's new book on time. The book describes the archaeological site of Tipon, an estate for Inca nobility, which pre-Inca people began sometime before AD 1200. Inca civil engineers turned it into a masterpiece around AD 1400. The early people built a 3.7-mile defensive wall around the 500-acre site. Ken's book details the hydraulic, irrigation, and structural accomplishments of the Inca that made Tipon a virtual water garden, with advanced techniques for using groundwater and surface water. Terrace walls are the finest in all of South America. It is a good example of how water and land can provide stimuli for community development, even at an elevation of 12,000 feet. 2005 MACHU PICCHU CALENDAR Thanks to the work of many individuals, the 2005 Machu Picchu calendar is at our printer for publication. The unique calendar features Machu Picchu as it probably appeared in AD 1530. It portrays people, thatched roofs, and a June solstice ceremony. WPI thanks National Geographic magazine for making artwork available and Tangram Design of Denver for beautiful artwork. WPI'S VIDEO GOES TO HOUSTON WPI's staff members are pleased that, when the Machu Picchu exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science closed, the final exhibit component (WPI's video) got a new life. The Natural History Museum in Houston, Texas requested approval to borrow the video. They took it, along with the basic Yale exhibit, for their show, which runs from June through August. The exhibit in Denver was a big success, with 223,000 visitors! They also sold lots of our books. April 2004 MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK The Wright Paleohydrological Institute is being assisted by WWE staff members who are working on a final report on the hydrology of a reservoir that dates from AD 800 to 950. Nearly hidden in a remote valley, the reservoir is one of the most important sites our team has studied at Mesa Verde National Park. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and WWE are analyzing detailed soil data and samples. WWE staffers are also studying the prehistoric vegetation, based on pollen samples analyzed by Dr. Richard Holloway of Flagstaff, Arizona. DROUGHT? Mountain snowfall is low in 2004 so |