For 2008 we selected two nearby TAPS villages along the Maniqui River as training sites: Maraka and Puerto Yucumo.
The villages are about 30-45 minutes away by walking, and both lie about 6-8 hours up-river in a motorized canoe from San Borja.
TAPS has houses in both villages. Students will live in the project house in Maraka, but will take day trips to Puerto Yucumo.
Maraka has about 25 households and Puerto Yucumo about 50 households. In both places people speak mostly the Tsimane’ language and depend on hunting, fishing, gathering, and agriculture. In Puerto Yucumo there is a recent project to collect and sell jatata, a thatch palm that is now exported from the Maniqui River to the city of Santa Cruz in Bolivia, and even to the USA and Chile. Puerto Yucumo has faced recent pressure from cattle ranchers and colonist farmers. In San Borja, TAPS has a house with a telephone, computers, internet connection, and two classrooms, all of which we use to train students. For a description of San Borja see The setting, the people. Students should not expect to be in either La Paz or in San Borja for more than 1-2 days in each place at the start of the training; in other words, we will try to get into the field as soon as possible. Unless there is an emergency, we will remain in the two villages for the entire duration of the training and spend no more than 1-3 days in San Borja on the way out (air flights out of San Borja permitting). Students are free to spend as much time as they want in the rest of Bolivia after the project ends. In sum, the training sites are safe for students and San Borja is accessible by air should students require emergency evacuation. We will have a satellite telephone with us all the time in case we need emergency medical evacuation. The training program draws on years of research experience, extensive contact with local people, logistical support, and good will we have built with the Tsimane’ and the people of San Borja as part of TAPS.
