ABSTRACT
The PIARA Peru project was established with a mission to resist extractivist approaches in archaeological research by maintaining a sustained presence in the places we study and by designing and executing our research and heritage-focused initiatives in collaboration with local communities. Within these aims, PIARA has held a desire to broaden the relevance of local prehistory in ways that support the existing priorities of its community partners in Hualcayán, a village of Andean farmers, while also leveraging the interests and skills of the archaeological team. The ultimate goal is to stimulate a collective reimagining of Hualcayán’s past and use this to the benefit of the local community. This chapter recounts the last 15 years of PIARA outreach initiatives and research collaborations, pointing to the many setbacks and successes in our long-term research project as well as a renewed pathway for future work with lessons learned. We believe a core lesson from our work in Hualcayán is that cultivating a mutual relationship of care between archaeologists and communities is essential to doing ethical and impactful archaeology in the 21st century, while recognizing that the actions that establish care must be constantly re-evaluated and adjusted as community needs change and partnerships mature over a long period.
