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High Altitude Archaeology Part 3 (back to Part 2) 
In fact, it would seem that nothing stops Johan from his high altitude
archaeological explorations. He holds the world's high altitude scuba dive
record. At 19,200 feet on Licancabur he made a very cold dive into a crater
lake to see if there were any remains of Inca offerings to the lake. In an
article written for the American Alpine Journal he described this experience:
"The lake is over 200 feet long and proved to be relatively deep—about 15
feet in the center. I found a dark layer, roughly four feet thick, covering
the center-bottom and consisting of millions of crustacean larvae—something
hardly to be expected at this altitude. Diving into this dark swarm under such
unusual circumstances proved to be an unforgettable experience. Like others at
altitude, I too have occasionally had the sensation of someone accompanying me
who didn't exist. Never before, however, did I have visions of this being a
giant squid! I also saw underwater mole-like tunnels through the sand made by
something I wasn't able to identify. Although a few pieces of wood were found
at about 12 feet, these were apparently thrown in without any purpose in mind
and no offerings of any type were seen."
Foremost on Johan's agenda these days is the threat of potential looting of
these sacred sites. "It's hard to do a lot of plundering at altitude, but is
has happened. Before we went to Ampato, the site was blasted and looted." The
aim of Johan's archaeological expeditions to the Andes is to preserve the
sacred sites for posterity. "The number of high-mountain sites is limited, and
few of the important ones were investigated prior to being pilfered and,
occasionally, destroyed by treasure hunters and mountain climbers in search of
souvenirs. Even if only one or two minor items were taken by each climber, a
site would rapidly be depleted of finds, and we may never be able to determine
who made them or reconstruct what took place there... It would be a tragic loss
to (our) cultural and mountaineering heritage if materials which hold the key
to such important ancient beliefs should disappear before they can be
studied."The Lost Empire | The Sacrificial Ceremony | High Altitude Archaeology | Burial Artefacts Expedition '96 | Dispatches | Mummies | Lost Worlds | Mail Resources | Site Map | Ice Mummies of the Inca Home | BBC Horizon Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |