Donnan, Christopher B.

English

University of Maine

Andean PastVolume 7 Article 62005Susana Meneses de Alva (1948-2000)Christopher B. DonnanUniversity of California, Los Angeles, cdonnan@arts.ucla.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/andean_pastPart of the Archaeological Anthropology CommonsThis Obituaries is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Andean Past by anauthorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact um.library.technical.services@maine.edu.Recommended CitationDonnan, Christopher B. (2005) "Susana Meneses de Alva (1948-2000)," Andean Past: Vol. 7 , Article 6.Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/andean_past/vol7/iss1/6ANDEAN PAST 7 (2005): 23-26.SUSANA MENESES DE ALVA (1948-2002)CHRISTOPHER B. DONNANUniversity of California, Los AngelesSusana Meneses de Alva (right) with Walter Alva at Sipán.  Photo © The National Geographic Society.      When Susana Meneses de Alva died of canceron April 15, 2002, Andean archaeology lost awonderful colleague.1 I had the pleasure of knowingher for nearly thirty years, and during that time Iwitnessed the many ways in which she contributedto the archaeology of northern Peru.Susy (as we all knew her), was born on October11, 1948 in Guadalupe, a small town on the northcoast of Peru. She attended the UniversidadNacional de La Libertad in Trujillo where shepursued her interest in History and Geography.Completing her degree in Education in 1967, shetaught for three years before returning to the univer-sity to study Anthropology.In 1974 Susy married Walter Alva. Their firstson Ignacio was born in 1976, and their second son,Bruno, in 1982. She was a loving mother, and onChristmas Day, 2001, she and Walter were blessed1  Editors’ note: Christopher B. Donnan wrote this obituaryimmediately after the death of Susanna Meneses de Alva. Theeditors delayed publication until Andean Past 7 was complete.ANDEAN PAST 7 (2005) - 24with the birth of their first grandchild, AndrésIgnacio. Walter and Susy had a lifelong and very closepartnership. They worked together as field archaeo-logists, museum administrators, curators of exhibi-tions, defenders of archaeological patrimony, andmost recently, creators of the remarkable MuseoTumbas Reales de Sipán. A great deal of the asto-nishing success of both Walter and Susy is directlydue to the strong personal bond between them,which allowed them to combine their extraordinarytalents in a mutually supportive manner.I first met Susy in 1976, when she and Walterwere living in Trujillo. When Walter was appointedas Director of the Museo Nacional Brüning in 1977,they moved to Lambayeque. In the years thatfollowed, they worked tirelessly to improve allaspects of the museum. They completely renovatedthe museum’s exhibits, greatly improved its storagefacilities, created a state-of-the-art metallurgicalconservation laboratory, built new research facilities,and even enhanced the landscaping around themuseum with flowers, trees, grass, and stone walk-ways. Together, and with very limited resources, theymiraculously transformed the Brüning Museum intoone of the finest in Peru. Susy was intensely dedicated to the preservationof cultural patrimony. Knowing first hand the prob-lem of looting and destruction of the archaeologicalsites in the valleys of Lambayeque and Zaña, sheplayed a major role in the formation of Grupos deProtección Arqueológica (Grupas), a network ofindividuals committed to safeguarding the archaeo-logical sites in their local areas. The Peruvian con-gress acknowledged this organization as a modelprogram for the protection of the archaeologicalpatrimony. Susy also wrote articles about the need toprotect archaeological sites (Meneses 1998a, 1998b,2001) and expressed her views convincingly in talksat scientific meetings. In 1996 she helped develop aforum on cultural patrimony in Trujillo, which wasorganized by the Municipalidad Provincial deTrujillo, the newspaper La Industria of Trujillo, andthe Museo Nacional Brüning de Lambayeque. Thisevent made people aware that the site of ChanChan was endangered by squatters who were invad-ing the archaeological zone, and resulted in govern-ment intervention to forcibly remove them from thesite.Susy was instrumental in developing the convenioin which the United States government agreed torepatriate artifacts that had been looted from Sipán.She was strongly opposed to the construction of thecable car at Machu Picchu, demonstrating how itwould irreparably damage the site, and she cam-paigned against the privatization of tourism at thesite of Kuelap. Walter and Susy enjoyed archaeological field-work. Together, they conducted a major excavationin 1975 at Salinas de Chao, an important PreceramicPeriod site. They also carried out various investiga-tions in the Zaña Valley (Meneses and Alva 1982).In 1979 they made a detailed study of the temple ofUdima — a Formative Period site located in aremote area of the upper valley. Then, in 1983, theyconducted a major excavation at Ucupe, a LateIntermediate Period site with spectacular polychromemurals (Meneses and Alva 1984, Meneses 1985). Susy was an excellent field archaeologist. I wasfortunate to have her participate in my project atHuaca Chotuna in 1980 and 1981. She conductedmeticulous excavations, documented them fully, andmade many insightful observations about the archi-tectural construction sequence. In our second fieldseason working together, Susy conducted a two-month investigation of one of the largest pyramids atthe site. As a result of her tireless work, the projectteam began to refer to it as “Huaca Susy”. She didsuch an outstanding job of excavation that when Ipublished the Chotuna site plan I assigned the name“Huaca Susy” to that structure. It should always beknown by that name. In 1987 a rich Moche tomb was looted at Sipán,a site in the upper Lambayeque Valley. Walterimmediately began a salvage excavation there inorder to learn as much as possible about the natureof the site and the context of the looted tomb. In25 - Donnan: Susana Meneses de AlvaJune of that year, his team found what would proveto be the richest burial ever excavated archaeologi-cally in the Americas. Susy worked diligently withhim in the Sipán excavation, which continued formore than ten years. During that time, they exca-vated other graves of very high status Moche indi-viduals. Their work at Sipán clearly demonstratedthat the peak of Moche social stratification wasmuch higher than archaeologists had ever imagined.Moreover, two of the richest tombs were of indivi-duals whose role and activities were portrayed inMoche art, thus validating the reliability of theiconography for reconstructing Moche culture anddemonstrating that the Moche had something of astate religion, with individuals dressed in rigidlyprescribed garments and accessories to performspecific ceremonies. The Sipán excavations havebrought about a fundamental reanalysis and recon-struction of Moche culture.The spectacular finds at Sipán generated world-wide news, and soon there were multitudes of peoplewanting to see the excavation. Walter and Susywere able to build a small museum adjacent to thesite so the visitors could understand the process aswell as the results of the archaeological research.They also created paths so visitors could walkaround the site to view the burial chambers wherethe tombs had been excavated, and they filled theburial chambers with replicas of the tombs’ contents.I know no other archaeologists who have been facedwith the ongoing demands of the public, the media,VIP tours, etc., yet Susy and Walter were amazinglygracious. I have often thought how fortunate thearchaeological community was to have these twoindividuals in that position.With the excavation of the Sipán tombs therewas a pressing need to clean and conserve theircontents. At first some of the material was sent fortreatment to Mainz, Germany. Soon, however,Walter and Susy developed a metallurgical conserva-tion laboratory at the Brüning Museum. It hasexcellent equipment and a highly trained profes-sional staff, and is widely recognized today as one ofthe finest facilities of its kind in South America.Susy and Walter also became involved in theexhibition of the Sipán material — first in a highlysuccessful show that traveled for two years to majormuseums in the United States. They then installedan expanded version of this exhibition in the Museode la Nación in Lima, where attendance was over-whelming. More recently, they worked closelytogether on the permanent installation of the Sipántreasures in the newly constructed Museo TumbasReales de Sipán in Lambayeque. Susy played a critical role in the genesis of thismuseum. She was involved in nearly every aspect,from the architecture through the design and instal-lation of the exhibitions. In addition, she created theCasa Real Moche, a spectacular tableau of thirty-seven life-sized mannequins that portray Mocheroyalty and their retainers. This was Susy’s project,and every detail of it was overseen by her. It providesa grand finale for the exhibition, giving the visitor anunforgettable sense of Moche pageantry. The man-nequins are dressed in faithful replicas of the objectsthat she and Walter excavated at Sipán and that arenow so beautifully exhibited in the museum thatthey created together.Susy was a very modest and unpretentiousperson. Yet she had great talent, great integrity, astrong will, and untiring commitment — and sheused these qualities to achieve much for the preser-vation and understanding of the pre-Columbiancultures of northern Peru. She chose difficult goalsrather than easy ones, yet she was remarkablysuccessful. What she accomplished will serve as alasting tribute to her. The many people who knewand worked with Susy realize how profoundly sheenriched our lives. We will miss her.Bibliography of Susana Meneses de AlvaMeneses, Susana1985 Los Murales de Ucupe. In Presencia histórica deLambayeque, edited by Eric Mendoza Samillán, pp.155-160. Chiclayo: Ediciones Falconi-Mendoza. 1987 Museos regionales y su papel como transmisores decultura. In Ponencias del Primer Encuentro Nacional deDirectores de Museos, pp. 52-54. Lima: InstitutoNacional de Cultura-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia yTecnología. ANDEAN PAST 7 (2005) - 261992 Túcume: centro de poder regional.  La Industria-40aniversario  (17 de febrero, 1992). Chiclayo.1998a Requiem por Huaca El Taco. La Industria-Dominical(20 de marzo, 1998). Chiclayo.1998b Reales Cédulas y leyes peruanas frente al PatrimonioCultural. La Industria-Lundero (mayo, 1998). Chicla-yo. 2001 Monumentos y entornos: una unidad indivisible. LaIndustria-Lundero (noviembre, 2001). Chiclayo.Meneses, Susana and Walter Alva1982 Geoglifos del formativo en el valle de Zaña. Beitragezur Allgemeinen und Vergleichenden Archäologie 4:201-212. Bonn: KAVA, Deutschen ArchäologischenInstituts.1984 Murales de Ucupe en el Valle de Zaña, norte delPerú. Beitrage zur Allgemeinen und VergleichendenArchäologie 5:335-360. Bonn: KAVA, DeutschenArchäologischen Instituts.1989 Museo Brüning: remodelación y perspectivas. LaIndustria-Lundero (28 de mayo, 1989). Chiclayo.Meneses, Susana and Luis Chero1994 Arquitectura. In Sipán, edited by Walter Alva, pp.246-257. Lima: Colección Cultura y Artes del Perú,Cervecería Backus & Johnston. 

Susana Meneses de Alva (1948-2000)

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Susana Meneses de Alva (1948-2000)

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