Tiwanaku is a thought to be a ceremonial centre or capital city of the ancient civilisation. It is based near the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake shore was 6km away in the past, now 20km. The lake shrunk due to a 40-year drought; which is also believed to have been the reason for the downfall of this nation as they were highly dependent on farming.
Only a small portion of the site is actually excavated and restored. Bolivia cannot afford to excavate and preserve the rest of the site. This is a shame as the civilisation lasted from 5BC to 1200AD. The museum also contains large Shaman (witch doctor) statues in sandstone and andesite. They have symbols carved in them that lets us know that they are Shamans. This includes having a square shaped cap, wide eyes, showing him to be in trance, holding a vessel to drink chicha from, symbols on the adornments, which are assumed to be covered in gold leaf in real life.
The Akapana Pyramid is thought to be an astrological centre. There are 7 levels (an important number in Pre Incan and Incan times). It is believed that the top was flat and filled with a layer of water so that the reflection of the night sky could be studied. The top also has 14 magnetic andesite rocks, their purpose unknown. Much of the pyramid seems to be raided for use as building materials in the town church and buildings as far as La Paz.
North of the pyramid is Kalasasaya – a large ceremonial ground. There were little storage huts along the northern and southern walls. It is here that you find the Sun Gate (Puerta del Sol). It was however not found here originally- archaeologists found it on the road to Tiwanaku. The gate is decorated with carvings of Sun God (possibly), and rows of Pumas, Condors and Serpents.
The
Cemetery is used for Shamans only. They were buried with pottery and gold
adornments. Unfortunately, much of these artefacts have disappeared.
We also visit the site called Puma Punka which was the beginning of a pyramid excavation when archaeologists found a great deal of carved stone, and left the excavation like that. The stones- both sandstone and basalt again, have very precise carvings and the rock is so well polished. Angles are cut at 90 degrees perfectly, as are multi depth carvings of what is referred to now as Incan crosses (Chakana) – but this is before Incan times. The three levels signify time- past, present and future and the four sides represent the cardinal points and the southern Cross.
The visit was interesting, though nothing compared to sites like Machu Picchu.
