The Peruvian capital Lima contains over more than 300 archaeological sites existing in its forty-nine districts. Sixty percent of these archaeological sites are in danger of being destroyed, and...Show moreThe Peruvian capital Lima contains over more than 300 archaeological sites existing in its forty-nine districts. Sixty percent of these archaeological sites are in danger of being destroyed, and only three percent is incorporated in projects that enjoy their social use. One of the sites that is included in the three percent is the on-site museum ‘Huaca Pucllana’, the subject of this master thesis. Since the construction of Huaca Pucllana’s archaeological complex from 500 A.D. until the arrival of the Spaniards, the archaeological complex has been part of various pre-Columbian cultures (Lima, Wari, and Ychsma) fulfilling different roles (administrative and ceremonial center, cemetery). After a long period of abandonment and being in danger of destruction, an on-site museum was created next to the archaeological complex in the 1980’s. The museum’s main objective was to be a cultural center for society in which society got involved with their cultural heritage. Nowadays, Huaca Pucllana’s heritage management is seen as a model that can be applied to other archaeological sites in Lima. An important aspect of this management is society’s involvement with the archaeological site. But how can this be achieved? This research focuses on this question by using a theoretical framework that includes the themes: New Museology, social development, heritage preservation, and museum education. During this research, an analysis has been performed on the offered activities and programs by Huaca Pucllana, using a theoretical framework of educational theories that George Hein discusses in his book Learning in the Museum (1998). Subsequently, a look has been taken on how they fit into the framework of New Museology, social development, and heritage preservation. Lastly, Huaca Pucllana’s cultural heritage management is compared with other limeño huacas. This research has shown that community involvement with an archaeological site can be achieved by aiming at an active community participation, in which a hands- on/mind-on mentality is essential, in other words: physical and mental participation of the community. Finally, the self-sufficiency of Huaca Pucllana’s cultural heritage management is made possible thanks to four following factors: registration of the archaeological site as heritage of the nation, a convention between the Ministry of Culture and the municipality in which it is situated, its economic self-sufficiency, and the involvement of community with the on-site museum.Show less
This research will address the role of human remains collections within an ethnology museum as viewed by the museum personnel – curators, museum managers, catalog and reserve managers as well as...Show moreThis research will address the role of human remains collections within an ethnology museum as viewed by the museum personnel – curators, museum managers, catalog and reserve managers as well as education and public relations departments-. The research focuses in the specific case study of the personnel at the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde in Leiden, The Netherlands. It has been conducted on the base of individual interviews and groups interviews with the museum personnel. The field work for this thesis took place over five months, and focused on the “Pre- Columbian mummy collection”. The aim of this research was to present a case study of what curators in the Netherlands think in regards to human remains in collections and their use in exhibits and the relation between these opinions and the institutional policies followed in regards to human remains at the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde. The results show that personal and professional opinions of the museum personnel are closely related to museum policies and influenced by museum practices of repatriation and consultation with source communities. However, it became apparent that guidelines regarding the display an use of skeletonized human remains such as skulls and objects manufactured with human remains need to be discussed and agreed upon.Show less
