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At its height, Tiwanaku exerted economic and cultural influence over much of South America, with a population that may have reached 20,000.
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| Tiahuanaco or Tiwanaku is an archaeological site located in western Bolivia, near Lake Titicaca, believed to have existed in pre-Columbian times. To date, it is one of the largest archaeological sites in South America. |
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| According to historical records, the site was first discovered in 1549 by Spanish explorer Pedro Cieza de León. The Aymara people later named it Tiwanaku, meaning “center stone,” believing it to be the center of the world. |
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| A few hundred meters from Tinawaku is the unique Puma Punku ruins. It is believed that this is an ancient Inca temple and memorial area. Archaeologists consider the stones here to be one of the most interesting historical mysteries in South America, as the location and carvings on the stone are so precise that they look like they were cut by modern lasers. |
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| Many of the stones have straight lines, are of absolutely uniform depth, and are placed tightly together like a single block of stone. Until now, researchers have not understood how such precise works on such a large scale could be created. |
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| The artistic quality of the structures has led to many theories about their origins, from aliens to the remains of a vanished superior society. According to the natives, they were not built by their ancestors or even by their predecessors. An ancient power built them, and the Incas settled there afterward. This story is even recorded in the Annals of Peru, written in the 16th century by Garcilaso de La Vega. |
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| Construction researchers also believe that, in terms of complexity and high technical requirements of the construction, the pyramids in ancient Egypt are too simple compared to the ruins at Puma Punku. |
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| Besides the mysteries of sculpture, in the Puma Punku stone relic complex there is still an unanswered question: the Sun Gate - a structure built by the Tinawaku culture more than 1,500 years ago. |
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| This is a monolithic stone arch located near Lake Titicaca on the outskirts of La Paz. The structure is about 3 meters high, nearly 4 meters wide, and weighs about 10 tons. The Tinawaku people built and used this structure as a calendar to track the days of the year. However, how the Tiwanaku people calculated the exact relationship between the rays of the sun at the autumnal equinox and the location of the Gate of the Sun remains a mystery. |
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| With unsolved mysteries, Tiwanaku and Puma Punku are still a point of curiosity for tourists who want to learn about ancient civilizations in Bolivia and the whole of South America. In 2000, the Tinawaku complex was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage. To get to Tinawaku and Puma Punku, you can book a one-day tour from travel agencies in the capital La Paz. |
