I spent two days in La Paz, Bolivia last week. Aside from it having the highest elevation international airport in the world, the area is also the seat of the expansion of the Tahuantinsuyo (Inca) empire, and site of many significant pre-Inca civilizations that were to influence them in architecture, iconography, and religion. I could not miss the opportunity to brave the efforts of walking around at over 14,000 ft amsl on the Bolivian altiplano and visit the site of Tiwanaku.

Before I say anything else, let me state I am NOT a believer in "alien ancestry" and all that stuff, a certain theory that this site has been cited as - ahem - "evidence" for. That's BS. My interest was primarily historic, and second, engineering. It was quite awesome to actually be there, where construction of the temples and statues started some 1,500 years B.C. The newest site is Puma Punku, construction of which is estimated to have started 600 A.D, some 800 years before the rise of the Inca empire. The quality of the workmanship on the andesite stones is simply remarkable, to the extent it is hard to believe it has not been done post-facto by advanced tooling.

Here are some snaps...





Wiracocha, the sun god. Invading Spaniard conquistadores in the 1500's were so apprehensive of the "demonic" power of this carved statue, and its influence on the remaining tribes of the Inca empire, that they actually attempted to decapitate it, and upon not succeeding, performed an exorcism on it. The symbol of the exorcism can be seen in the second picture, on the shoulder of the monolith.



Gateway of the sun, this is actually nothing more than a calendar, in function, not unlike Stonehenge. Supposedly, the symbolism along the bottom describes the year divided up into 13 months, not twelve.



The most ancient, original non-reconstructed wall revealed by excavation...



A more recent, original wall, inside a pit which looked unnervingly like it was meant for some sort of sacrificial rites, to me...







The most recent stonework and the highest quality workmanship at the site of Puma Punku. See where the History Channel got the model for their "H"?

Finally, a picture of La Paz itself is in order, a place that has intrigued me since I was a kid. It gives you a splitting headache for the first few hours you are there, is all I can say. It is ludicrously high, lol!



...the barren altiplano...



...and last, another picture of an aircraft at Lima, on the way back, that should be of interest...

wow! really nice to see what accomplishments that were made then, that today can barely be replicated or even now how it was done. i would of loved to see this place in its hayday....
thanks for pics...

Incredible stuff. Thank you sir.

I will donate a full $5 to you for that one! lol