Wright Paleohydrological WRIGHT Institute PALEOHYDROLOGICAL INSTITUTE To further the knowledge of past civilizations through the study of ancient water management and practices. Winter 2019/2020 Paleohydrology is “the study of water use and handling by ancient people.” New Classroom in Lima Wright Paleohydrological In 2019, Ken and Ruth providing a short lecture of the Wrights’ on ancient Institute (WPI) is a Wright were delighted to on the engineering native technology of the non-profit organization learn that a classroom at wonders of Machu Picchu Inca empire. established in 1996 for the the Universidad Nacional and several other Inca study of ancient water use. de Ingeniería (UNI) in sites that were studied by The Wrights were WPI is a public foundation Lima, Peru, was named in the Wright team over a touched by this kind with a proud record of their honor. UNI’s civil 25-year period. gesture of appreciation by public interest activities engineering faculty voted their friends and cohorts related to ancient water to dedicate the classroom The classroom will in Lima. management. to the Wrights to showcase the publications celebrate their research on Peru’s ancient engineers, the Inca. Inside this issue: A dedication ceremony took place on July 1. Ken and Productive Visit 2 Ruth’s colleague by Professor Professor Emeritus Richard Miksad of Richard Miksad of the Virginia University of Virginia The new classroom at UNI features a plaque (left) and three walls of stood in for the large images of the Inca sites Ken and Ruth studied and their books on Phoebe Hearst 2 Wrights at the event, paleohydrology (right). Museum Paleohydrology 2 2019 Calendar Wins Awards Lectures WWE’s 2019 Machu gold medal under the Competition for these 2019 Pompeii 3 Picchu & Pompeii calendar promotional division for honors is stiff. For Research won top national awards! Best Non-Profit. Then for instance, our calendar was The calendar was given a good measure, the up against Goodyear, U.S. Saqsaywaman 3 gold medal from the association awarded us a Metro Bank, and Sports Field Work in National Calendar silver medal for Best Illustrated Swimsuit 2019 Marketing Association for Scenic for a total of three calendars. Best Subject and another awards. Institute of 3 Andean Studies Poster Thank You for Your Support in 2019 Presentation WPI continues to study generosity helps make this 2020 with donations from Donation Form 4 how ancient people dealt happen. $5 to $200. Ruth and Ken with water and how Wright match modern water can affect You can support our contributions at two to ancient structures. Your public education efforts in one. Page 2 Wright Paleohydrological Institute Productive Visit by Professor Richard Miksad of Virginia In October, we had a High Flood District on his for nine years now. The fruitful visit from Dr. study of water and Inca studies have included Richard Miksad of Virginia, drainage practices at the ceremonial water features and his wife, Robin. Dr. Inca site of Saqsaywaman. and drainage. Miksad is engineering dean emeritus of the University Dr. Miksad has been leading Dr. and Mrs. Miksad also of Virginia (UVa) and a WPI engineering students and participated in a WPI board Public Member. While in graduate students from UVa meeting while they were in town, he gave a in conducting research at town. presentation at the Mile Saqsaywaman, near Cusco, Phoebe Hearst Museum Top: The October 2019 meeting of the WPI board As a long-time supporter of represent a form of Ken and Ruth Wright’s at the Chautauqua Dining the Phoebe Hearst Museum communication. support has focused on Hall in Boulder. Second: at the University of curating one of the most Dick Miksad presented a California–Berkeley, WPI is Our connection with the important Andean lecture on Saqsaywaman to happy to see that the Museum at Berkeley has collections in the United a group of drainage and museum is now focusing on States, with an emphasis on flood control professionals been to provide funding for in Denver. ancient Andean textiles. In the John H. Rowe Memorial preservation. Collections a way, textiles are the Fund at the Phoebe Hearst Manager Leslie Freund has language of the ancient Inca Museum of been leading a staff of 33 people because, in the Anthropology. John Rowe people in this preservation absence of a written was a leading and effort, which will make the language, they tell us of productive Andean Scientist collection more available to their culture and who shed light on the the public. aspirations. Textiles ancient Inca empire. Paleohydrology Lectures WPI provides many public Associate Professor of Dr. Richard Miksad gave lectures each year. For ex- anthropology Kate Trusler. three paleohydrology ample, in 2019, Wayne Lo- presentations while he was Traditional Inca textile renz presented on As another example, the in Peru last summer. He weaving, as depicted in the Pompeii water studies at the Foothills Rotary Club of Fort spoke on the hydraulics of Spanish text, El primer Society for American Saqsaywaman, a Water nueva corónica y buen Collins invited Ken Wright gobierno by Felipe Guaman Archaeology annual to give a lecture on ancient Temple at Saqsaywaman, Poma de Ayala (ca. 1600) meeting in Albuquerque, water management at Mesa and dedication of the New Mexico, with Verde in April. Kenneth and Ruth Wright University of Missouri Classroom. 2020 Machu Picchu Calendar Our 2020 scenic calendar, It is the 24th calendar that we paleohydrology and it is our Magical Machu Picchu, is now have produced after WPI first love. available! This beautiful first obtained a permit to calendar features the photos study Machu Picchu in 1994. Calendars are available for of Ruth and Ken Wright and Machu Picchu is the initial purchase at http:// Kurt Loptien. It was place where WPI studied wrightpaleo.com/ Magical Machu Picchu designed by Todd Clary. wordpress/scenic-calendar/. Page 3 2019 Pompeii Research Wayne Lorenz and Jamie collaboration with Dr. Kate the Vesuvius eruption may Akens of WPI perfomed Trusler of the University of have been different than field work in Pompeii in June Missouri. Wayne and Kate originally thought. of 2019. The WPI team was and their teams were privileged to meet with the pleased to perform their Wayne and Jamie also General Director of the research while the Region 5 perform a reconnaissance Guiseppe Illiano, Michael Pompeii Archaeological portion of Pompeii was survey of aqueduct Anderson (University of Park, Massimo Osanna, to being excavated for the first remnants in the Cuma, San Francisco), Wayne discuss new water features time. These excavations Lorenz, and Jamie Akens Puzzoili, Baia, Bacoli, and stand in front of the largest being excavated in Regio V have unearthed some Miseno areas. Access to mosaic fountain in (Region 5). special discoveries like a these areas was made Pompeii. petrified purebred horse possible by WPI researcher Wayne is conducting wearing a bronze-plated Guiseppe Illiano. research on the water military saddle and some fountains of Pompeii in evidence that the date of Saqsaywaman Research in 2019 Professor emeritus Richard Saqsaywaman is the largest, terraces that will encourage Miksad of the University of most impressive religious Peru’s Ministry of Culture Virginia was in Cusco this complex of the Inca empire. to preserve Saqsaywaman summer conducting further There’s more to it than the by returning the site’s research at Saqsaywaman. great walls—water is the drainage to the conditions Dr. Miksad’s students and connecting theme. more similar to those graduate students were originally designed by the joined by students from This summer’s research was Inca engineers. Universidad Nacional de performed by teams focused San Antonio Abad del on seismic refraction Professor Miksad is working Dr. Richard Miksad stands Cusco, Universidad Andina studies, total station on a book about before one of the famous monolithic stones of del Cusco, and Universidad measurements, and ground Saqsaywaman that compiles Saqsaywaman. Nacional de Ingeniería. penetrating radar. The the work of many experts efforts furthered 3D and promises to be an modeling of the Inca encyclopedia of the site. Institute of Andean Studies Poster Presentation Ken and Ruth Wright will Prehistoric remnants that Inca engineering remnants. present a poster on Native that illustrate this theme Its fountains, canals, Technology at the January include the Inca road system drainage, retaining walls, 2020 meeting of the that was described by the and building structures InstituteFarnsworth of Andean House Studies National Museum of the provide field evidence of at the University of American Indian in Inca skills. The poster will California‒Berkeley. Washington, D.C. It tells a also highlight native story of technical technology achievements at The poster will illustrate achievements across what Tipon, Moray, and that native technology, as are now six South American Ollantaytambo in Peru. represented by Inca civil countries and 24,000 engineering achievements, is lineal miles of trail. Please call Sally Kribs at The Inca Road to Machu well documented by the (303) 480-1700 if you would Picchu is a good example of native technology. field evidence left behind at Machu Picchu is another like a copy of the poster. archaeological sites. example of abundant To further the knowledge of past civilizations through the study of ancient water management and practices. A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS: WRIGHT PALEOHYDROLOGICAL This is a record of my contribuon to the Wright Paleohydrological Instute