Northern Peru has long been regarded as one of the primary cultural centers of the ancient Andean civilizations of South America. The more than 5,000 hectares that comprise the Pómac Forest Historical Sanctuary, a protected natural area located 31.5 km from Chiclayo, Lambayeque, Peru make up one of the most ecologically and culturally diverse locations on the planet. It is home to more than 50 adobe pyramids and thousands of archaeological sites affiliated with local pre-Hispanic groups including Northern Gallinazo and Sicán, as well as the world-renown Inka.

Within this fascinating cultural and ecological setting, students will experience rich multi-cultural heritage spanning over 10000 years of prehistory and take in the natural wonders of the Pacific Ocean, arid coast, and high Andes mountains. During fieldwork, students will be immersed in an interdisciplinary journey witnessing first-hand how ancient inhabitants of northern Peru survived and thrived over the last several millennia.

During the 2026 field season, you will participate in cutting-edge remote sensing surveys and targeted excavations in the Pómac sanctuary. While learning, you will help expand our understanding of ancient lifeways that shaped and were shaped by the unique characteristics of this rare ecological zone.

All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which ARC program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.

Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Northen Arizona University

Distinguish Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Faculty at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruíz Gallo, Peru

• Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
• Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
• Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 3% processing fee
• Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
• Cancellation Policy: Carefully read our Cancellation Policy before committing to attending our programs
• Trip Cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by ARC. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies.

Students will stay at a field house in the town onStudents will live in triple occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms and showers. The entire project staff will live in the field house so expect privacy to be limited. Project staff & students will take turns at daily cleaning of the facility so expect to contribute to the process on a rotating basis.

Food will be prepared by the project cooking staff and include hearty regional cuisine prepared by our local chef, with local ingredients – usually a three-course meal consisting of an appetizer, a main course of chicken, beef or seafood, and a healthy vegetable side dish or salad. Given how remote the site is and the local traditional cuisine, this program will not be able to accommodate any special diets (Kosher, Halal, vegan, etc.), but we are able to prepare healthy vegetarian, gluten-free or nut-free meals.

We suggest you hold purchasing your airline ticket until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancellation of a field school. ARC typically makes a final Go/No Go decision six weeks before program begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge you to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to program beginning.

Students will meet with project staff members on Sunday, the first day of the field school, at 12:00pm at Chiclayo International Airport (CIX). We will meet at the upstairs restaurant on the second floor, just outside the arrival space. CIX is a small airport so participants should have no problem getting there.

There are no special visa requirements for U.S. citizens travelling to Peru, as long as you do not stay longer than 3 months. Passport’s expiration date should exceed the stay by at least 3 months.

Citizens of other countries are asked to check the Peruvian Embassy website page at their home country for specific visa requirements.