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| Museum of High Altitude Archaeology (MAAM) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Museum of High Altitude Archaeology |
| Native name | Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña |
| Caption | Exhibition galleries |
| Established | 1996 |
| Location | Salta Province, Argentina |
| Type | Archaeology museum |
| Collections | Inca, Andean cultures, mummified human remains |
Museum of High Altitude Archaeology (MAAM) is an archaeological museum in Salta Province near Salta (city), dedicated to the recovery, conservation, and display of high‑altitude Andean artifacts and human remains. The institution arose from multidisciplinary work involving Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, Universidad Nacional de Salta, and international teams linked to Smithsonian Institution and Universidad de Buenos Aires, focusing on highland archaeology, Andean ritual, and conservation science.
MAAM developed after the 1999 discovery of the Llullaillaco mummies on Nevado Llullaillaco by an expedition including researchers from Universidad Nacional de Salta, Museo de La Plata, and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Early involvement came from archaeologists associated with Salvador Muñiz and teams influenced by methodologies from Max Uhle, Julio C. Tello, and comparative studies with collections at Museo Nacional de Antropología and Museo de La Plata. Institutional support involved provincial authorities of Salta Province and collaborative frameworks with CONICET and international partners such as University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The museum opened to the public in the early 2000s following conservation campaigns guided by specialists from Instituto Nacional de Antropología and curators trained at British Museum and Museo del Oro (Bogotá), establishing protocols later referenced in publications by Jorge Sempé and teams publishing through Journal of Archaeological Science.
The collections center on Inca and pre‑Inca highland material culture including the Llullaillaco mummies alongside textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and ritual paraphernalia sourced from Puna de Atacama, Andes, Altiplano, and excavations in Salta Province and Jujuy Province. Notable objects include Capacocha ritual offerings comparable to holdings at Museo Larco, textiles with motifs akin to examples from Tiwanaku and Wari, and metal objects resonant with material from Cuzco and Qulla Suyu. Human remains are curated with techniques informed by protocols at Natural History Museum, London and case studies published in American Journal of Physical Anthropology and Nature. The collection also houses archival materials tied to fieldwork by researchers who published with Instituto de Arqueología y Museo (Universidad Nacional de Tucumán), and comparative samples used in isotopic studies by teams at University of Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
Permanent galleries present the Llullaillaco children within an interpretive framework referencing comparative displays from Museo de La Plata, Museo Nacional de Antropología, and exhibitions organized with curators from the British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Temporary exhibitions have included collaborations with Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina), traveling displays coordinated with Museo del Oro (Bogotá) and thematic shows on Andean textiles paralleling mounts at Museo Larco. Interpretive materials reference archaeological fieldwork by teams from CONICET, ethnographic parallels drawn from studies by Claude Lévi‑Strauss and contemporary scholarship from Marisol de la Riva, and conservation narratives influenced by casework at Getty Conservation Institute.
MAAM functions as a research center where archaeologists, conservators, and bioarchaeologists affiliated with CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, and international institutions conduct studies in biomolecular analysis, radiocarbon dating, and textile conservation. Collaborative projects include stable isotope research with laboratories at University of Oxford and DNA analyses comparable to studies published by teams at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and University of Copenhagen. Conservation protocols were developed with input from specialists at Getty Conservation Institute and curatorial consultants from British Museum, emphasizing non‑destructive analysis and long‑term preservation used in reports in Journal of Archaeological Science and Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites.
Educational programming coordinates with Universidad Nacional de Salta and regional schools in Salta Province and Jujuy Province, offering guided tours, lectures by scholars from CONICET and visiting academics from University of Cambridge, and outreach initiatives modeled on public archaeology programs at Smithsonian Institution. The museum hosts workshops on Andean textile techniques with master weavers linked to communities near Puna de Atacama and seminars featuring researchers from Museo de La Plata and Museo Nacional de Antropología.
Housed in a purpose‑adapted building in Salta (city), the museum includes climate‑controlled conservation laboratories designed with consultants from Getty Conservation Institute and equipped for paleopathology, curatorial conservation, and archival curation similar to facilities at Museo Larco and Museo de La Plata. The complex incorporates exhibition halls, research libraries with holdings from CONICET and university partners, and a repository modeled after standards promulgated by ICOM and practices at Natural History Museum, London.
The museum is located in Salta (city) and operates visiting hours coordinated with provincial cultural authorities of Salta Province; visitors can access guided tours and educational programs in Spanish and occasional guided lectures by visiting scholars from Universidad Nacional de Salta and international partners such as Smithsonian Institution. Ticketing, temporary exhibition schedules, and special research viewing are managed by the museum administration in coordination with provincial cultural agencies and university collaborators.
Category:Museums in Argentina Category:Archaeological museums