Tiwanaku

I am going to preface this post with a reminder that I am an anthropology major. I spent a month on an archaeology dig in Belize, and have also taken classes on South American archaeology... so when this post is all pictures of Tiwanaku and explanations, you know why!! :)

 Tiwanaku is the one of the largest Pre-Columbian sites.  Unfortunately, aside from the ceremonial center, it has been destroyed by the present day town and the elements.  It is believed that Tiwanaku existed for about 2500 years!  The area of Tiwanaku extended into Northern Chile and Peru and its culture permeated many of those regions!  An interesting point of discussion on Tiwanaku is its disappearance.  It was abruptly abandoned and no one is sure why.  Some claim it was warfare, but there is little evidence to support this.  The current idea is that Lake Titicaca flooded the entire area, which is supported by the human and animal remains scattered around the site, rather than buried and cared for.  But no one is quite sure, but that's how archaeology is sometimes!  Tiwanakotas (Tiwanaku residents) were great architects, artists, engineers, farmers, star gazers and organizers.  This is shown by the detail in which they planned their ceremonial center based on the four cardinal directions and the degree of care taken to construct all the temples.  Plus, all of the rocks came from quarries at least 10km (~6.2miles) away which meant they had to create a system to get the blocks to the center!  Another interesting fact about the rocks, is that there are many different types (as you will see.)  But they were all added at the same time, which begs lots of questions as to why they used them.  Personally, I think it makes Tiwanaku very unique and creates a beautiful collage of stone from the area!  But other archaeologists probably have a better answer, unfortunately I don't know it or remember!

An 'idealized' map of Tiwanaku

Our Guide and the Map of Tiwanaku

The Pyramid of Akapana was originally mostly destroyed, but archaeologists were able to reconstruct part of it!  It supposedly had 7 different platforms that rose almost 20 m (65ft)!!  From the top of the monument you could see for miles which illustrated the power of Tiwanaku to all those around the center.  Archaeologists also found human and animal remains in the temple, which, along with its size, led them to believe that this was the ceremonial center of Tiwanaku.   It is thought that this was the meeting point of the cosmic regions:  Heaven, Hell and Earth.

Pyramid of Akapana

This would be the center, depressed plaza in the photo above,
you can sort of see the form still!

View from the top of Akapana, you really can see for miles!
This view is from the plaza, looking away from the steps on the far side.

The Underground Temple is incredible and where most of the pictures of Tiwanaku are taken.  The walls are lined with stone carvings of people, skulls, animals and other figures. It is believed that they represented the different animals and tribes in the region. They also serve to show the skill of the artisans who worked in both stone and metals (a mix of copper and tin).  The largest monolith of Tiwanaku was also found in the middle of this Temple, Stela 10.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures of it, as it was moved into the museum to protect it from the elements.  The monoliths all have incredible details of animals, anthropomorphic figures and humans, but my camera can't capture them to the degree they deserve...

The Underground Temple

View from inside the Underground Temple!

Kontiki monolith: the bearded man

A few of the figure heads

They literally line the walls!

Kalasasaya is a large, open temple believed to have been used for stargazing and star mapping!  The western wall follows the Sun through the seasons.  It is sometimes referred to as the "Temple of the Standing Stones" because when the first people encountered Tiwanaku, there was a group of standing stones in a rectangular pattern (I'm assuming much like Stonehenge).  Inside the temple is a large rock with magnetic properties (wait until you see the photos!)  and the monoliths there served as the 'security guards' for the site!

Esteban (from La Isla), his friend & I in front of the entrance to Kalasasaya
I am always the tallest!

The mix of stones!

Another view of Akapana from Kalasasaya

One of the Guardians:  Fraile

The Kalasasaya - perfect for star gazing!
Too bad Tiwanaku isn't open at night!

The Magnetic Rock!
The closer you put the compass to the center the further off from North it reads!
If you put your hands on it you're supposed to be able to absorb some of the energy.

Absorbing ALL THE ENERGY!

It looks pretty intense and powerful even from afar!

La Puerta Del Sol!!
Not in it's original location, but it is still incredible to see!

 It was carved out of one piece of stone!
I can't even imagine how the Tiwanakotas moved it from the quarry
to their ceremonial center, but more power to them for it!

The archaeologist at Tiwanaku in her Alapaca hat & sweater!
Photo Credit:  Kai Neander

Hopefully you just learned a ton about Tiwanaku and found it sort of fascinating!  And hopefully I get to see a few more Bolivian ruins before we move on to Peru, but at least I'll see Machu Picchu!

To the Archaeologist's Dream Excursion,

Carly