Is Indiana Jones an archaeologist or a looter? ‘Colleagues’ of the hero analyze it mercilessly

Ignacio Alva: Archaeologist

In favor

Although in the stereotyped way required by adventure films aimed at the general public, Indiana Jones it has greatly popularized archeology and archaeologists. Harrison Ford has managed to build an endearing character, who combines detective intelligence and the audacity of an adventurer immersed in mysteries and expeditions into wild territories; with this he turns the abilities of archaeologists into powers equivalent to those of secret agents and superheroes. Indiana Jones consecrated the image of archaeologists in the Hollywood Parnassus.

As the son of a renowned archaeologist (Walter Alva), I had during my childhood a feeling of secret pride when I saw the first two films, which included a scene in Peru; pride directed at my father who equated and corrected in reality the achievements and talents of the great Indi. Faded feeling as an adult, as an archaeologist, put in the rush of explaining to my children the barbarity that ancestral aliens represent, no matter how Hollywood they are.

“It counts as an argument in favor of Indiana Jones that it has kept the attention of the general public towards archeology and the mystery of the past in the 20th century”

He counts as an argument in favor of Indiana Jones that in the 20th century he has maintained the attention of the general public towards archeology and the mystery of the past, a hobby that emerged in the 19th century with the first excavations and unpacking of mummies; however, this space achieved between the popular attractions could also have provided a better understanding of the past and not quite the opposite.

An adventurer with few scruples

Álvaro Higueras – Archaeologist

Against

Indiana Jones run, jump, aim and shoot, escape from a pit full of snakes, slash and crack his opponents with a tremendous whip in a series of five extreme action films, which begins with a bizarre scene in which he steals a idol in Peru. He is rarely seen reading, teaching, writing, analyzing in the peace of his laboratory the pieces that he puts in his pockets and backpack at full speed, while he flees from his pursuers. Indiana Jones is not an archaeologist, but rather an adventurer with few scruples, even if he faces execrable Nazis, which takes us to so many places like Nepal, Egypt and Southeast Asia.

“If there is someone who those adventures in Indiana convinced to dedicate themselves to being an archaeologist, then I think that today they must be extremely bored, unless they have dedicated themselves to looting and trafficking heritage”

When I saw his first film, in which he hunted for the Ark of the Covenant, I had already started my career in archeology and it was clear that, fortunately, those tribulations were not what I expected. If there is someone who those adventures in Indiana convinced to dedicate themselves to being an archaeologist, then I think that today he must be extremely bored, unless he has dedicated himself to looting and trafficking heritage, facing the law.

Having said this, the lives of some archaeologists present episodes of tension and conflict, as is the case of our Walter Alva, who led the eviction of the huaqueros from Sipán in 1987, with which he managed to initiate a period of flourishing of the archeology of our North Coast. Indiana is pure fiction, while Walter is the essence of being an archaeologist.