Liz Klarich

Smith College

Elizabeth Klarich is an anthropological archaeologist with interests in early urbanism, monumental architecture, craft production, and community-based research in the Lake Titicaca region of highland Peru. Since 2000, she has co-directed a project at Pukara, a Late Formative period (200 BC- AD 200) regional center recognized for its sunken court architecture, elaborate stone sculptures, and polychrome pottery. Presently, she is collaborating with contemporary potters from the nearby town of Pucará to collect oral histories, map clay and temper sources, and develop a digital archive of crafting practices. In 2009, she joined the anthropology department at Smith College and teaches general archaeology courses plus those that focus on South America, ethnographic and archaeological approaches to pottery, and the archaeology of food. She is also an active board member of the Chijnaya Foundation, which supports community-based programs in public health, education, and economic development in the northern Titicaca basin. Liz was a field intern at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in 1995.