- View: ruins
- Height: 4000 m above sea level
- The date of the origin of civilization: approximately 15,000 years ago
Tiwanaku (Spanish Tiahuanaco) - this is perhaps the most famous, the most mysterious and the most unexplored landmark of Bolivia . Tiwanaku is an ancient city and the center of civilization that existed long before the Inca history. It is located near Lake Titicaca at an altitude of about 4 thousand meters above sea level, in the department of La Paz .
For scientists and researchers, it remains a mystery how the ancient people, without special machines, were able to build buildings of stones weighing more than 200 tons, and why this great civilization fell into decay. Let's hope that in time all the secrets of this mysterious city will be revealed, but for now let's take a look at the history of this landmark of Bolivia .
The ancient civilization of Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku arose long before the Inca civilization and existed for 27 centuries, completely disappearing more than 1000 years ago. The state of Tiwanaku occupied territory from Lake Titicaca to Argentina, but despite its power, Tiwanaku did not take part in any war, which is confirmed by large-scale excavations: there is not a single confirmation of the use of weapons.
The basis of the culture of the inhabitants of Tiwanaku in Bolivia was the worship of the Sun, its fruit the ancient Indians considered gold. Gold was adorned with sacred constructions, gold was worn by priests, demonstrating a connection with the Sun. Unfortunately, many gold pieces of the Tiwanaku civilization were stolen during the Spanish colonization period, melted down or sold on the black market. Many of these gold objects can now be seen in private collections.
Economy of Tiwanaku
The economy of this state was built on 200 hectares of land, the inhabitants fed themselves, engaged in agriculture. In order to obtain good crops in a rather unfavorable climate, mounds and an irrigation system were built here, which is recognized as the most complex agro-system of the ancient world. By the way, this system has survived to the present day.
In addition to agriculture, the ancient inhabitants of Tiwanaku in Bolivia were engaged in the manufacture of ceramic products, which can be seen in the museum of the island of Pariti. Unfortunately, only a small number of ceramic vessels reached us, because their beatings were included in sacred rituals.
Buildings of the city of Tianwuaco
Not all buildings have passed the test of time, but still some of the buildings can be viewed even today:
- "Hangman Inca" - in fact it is an astronomical observatory, which has nothing to do with the place of execution, much less the Incas. The observatory was built more than 4,000 years ago, and within its walls ancient scientists compiled forecasts of rain, agricultural work schedules, days of summer and winter equinox. The Hangman of the Incas was opened in 1978.
- The Kalasasaya Temple is one of the largest buildings in the city of Tiaunako. The walls of the building are built of giant stones that have a slope to the center. This indicates that the engineers of that time had a unique professionalism, being able to calculate the correct weight of the platform and the required degree of bias. The temple has an interesting element - a hole in the shape of an ear that allowed rulers to hear people talking at a great distance and communicate with each other.
- The Gate of the Sun is part of the Kalasasaya Temple and the most famous monument of the Tiwanaku civilization, whose purpose has not yet been solved. The surface of the stone is decorated with carvings, the top of the gate is decorated by a sun-man with two scepters in his hands. At the bottom of the gate are 12 months, which correspond to the modern calendar.
- The pyramid of Akapan is the temple of the god Pachamama (Mother Earth). The pyramid consists of 7 levels, the height of which reaches 200 m. At the last level of the pyramid there is an observatory in the form of a basin, with which the ancient Indians studied astronomy, made calculations on the stars. Inside the pyramid there are underground canals, along which water drained from the top of Mount Akapan.
- Sculptures. The territory of the city of Tiwanaku is decorated with several huge sculptures of people. They are carved from a monolith and covered with a variety of symbols that tell different stories from the life of the ancient civilization of Tiwanaku.
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Tiwanako Technologies
To this day it remains a mystery how the ancient Tiwanako Indians used to process the stone from which the main objects of the city of Tiwanaku in Bolivia were built and how they delivered them from a quarry located 80 km from the city to the construction site. The opinion of scientists converges only one thing: the architects of the city of Tiwanaku in Bolivia had great experience and extensive knowledge, because in our time the transportation of such huge stones is almost impossible task.
Sunset civilization Tiwanaku
According to most scientists, the decline of the Tiwanaku civilization occurred due to a change in climatic conditions: in South America for a whole century, not a centimeter of precipitation fell, and no knowledge and technology helped to save the crop. Residents left the city of Tiaunako, hiding in small mountain villages, and the great civilization that existed for 27 centuries, was completely destroyed. But there is another opinion: the civilization of Tiwanaku disappeared as a result of a natural disaster, the nature of which is still unknown.
How to get to Tiwanaku?
You can get to the ruins from La Paz by intercity bus (the cost of travel is 15 bolivars) or as part of the excursion groups (in this case the cost of the trip and excursions will cost 80 bolivars). Entrance to the territory of Tiwanako is paid, it will cost you 80 bolivars.