Utah Valley University traveled to Tiahuanaco, Bolivia, in late August 2024 to begin work on the preservation efforts of one of Bolivia's most respected ancient sites. Tiahuanaco is a sacred Andean plain site and sits 12,500 feet above sea level. 

Digital Media Professor Emily Hedrick and the National Center For Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) Chief of Architecture and Engineering Simeon Warren teamed up to plan and organize a team of faculty and students to help assist with the digital preservation efforts of Tiahuanaco. They received an Ambassador's Award to fund travel and supplies to help restore the stonework at the site.

The project aims to share knowledge about cleaning and preserving the stones around the site. With more than 110 acres at Tiahuanaco, many structures and monuments need repair or cleaning from lichen growth that would deteriorate the large stones that line the walls. This project was an innovative blend of architectural restoration and digital media, helping to support that enormous effort.

Simeon Warren and UVU's Architectural Professor, Dr. Aliki Milioti, began the work on training and documenting the areas that are eroding and endangered. The UVU Architectural Team spent six days on the site measuring and cataloging stones that held up the walled areas around the Temple of Kalasasaya and Putuni archeological complexes. Kierstyn Dimas and Samuel Zenteno (Architecture) worked closely with Dr. Milioti to create orthographic drawings and highlight details not shown with photographs or digital drawings.

Simeon Warren led the efforts on the stone cleaning and how to properly clean the lichen growth that impacted the architectural stone. With support from Professor Bryan Sansom (Digital Audio) and, students McKay Horton (Digital Cinema) and Tanner Mahovsky (Digital Audio), they recorded tutorial videos for the Tiahuanaco archeologists and those helping maintain the site. Additionally, they captured footage for a documentary about the

Capturing and cataloging visual elements were done by Al Baker (Web Development) and Katelyn Swain (Web Design). Al created a comprehensive virtual reality (VR) tour of Tiahuanaco. Additionally, she helped support Katelyn in photographing the site and the archeological efforts being done with high-resolution images.

Professor Emily Hedrick (Digital Media) took her drone piloting skills to the sky and created a comprehensive, highly detailed map of Tiahuanaco. This will give Tiahuanaco a detailed map of the monuments and a measuring tool, enabling other researchers to map the site. Additionally, the archeologists at Tiahuanaco asked for detailed maps of their current excavation efforts and the surrounding area to support them.

Because this is a project done through the U.S. Embassy, the Chief of Mission Debra Hevia and the embassy, along with the Director of Tiahuanaco and local elders, toured the site and the team's efforts. Each of the team members was able to share and demonstrate the work that they had done while in Bolivia. Even Emily coaxed a few elders to pilot one of the drones!