Tiwanaku

After verifying that none of the 16 000 angry truck drivers were

blockading the road to Tiwanaku, we set out for a very fun day at the

ruins!

 

We grabbed a city bus/van to the cemetery district and then got into

another minivan heading to Tiwanaku. After waiting around for a while,

we set off, driving out of the city through the neighbouring

municipality of El Alto and then through the stunning Altiplano with

views of snowy mountains above the city. We chatted with a couple of

English people, also spending the day at the ruins. It never takes long

for people to think that the gulf islands are one of the weirdest places

they've ever heard of.

 

We hopped out of the van outside the ruins and bought some cookies for a

snack before entering the main site. It was almost deserted and

absolutely spectacular. We started by exploring Akapana, a large pyramid

made mainly from earth that was thought to have been the centre of the

city. Then we visited the semi-subterranean temple with carving of faces

jutting out from the walls. They are thought to represent the gods of

the cultures conquered by the Tiwanaku. Then, we spent a long time

oohing and awing over the incredible architecture of Kalasasaya, the

sacred centre of the city. The stone work was incredible, and it's

especially amazing in a culture without iron tools. There were ornate

doorways and statues, and a very sophisticated aqueduct system. We also

saw a huge mud alter that's still used for Aymara ceremonies at the

site. Our last stop in the main complex was Putini, which is thought to

be a burial ground. By this time, buses full of tourists were arriving,

but we managed to avoid them as they started to explore the site.

 

Next, we visited the Museo Litico which houses many of the statues

uncovered during the excavations of Tiwanaku. They were all incredible;

the Pachamama (or Mother Earth) statue was 7.3 meters tall and covered

from head to toe in details carvings. The style of lots of the statues

resembles totem poles, so that was a cool link between distant cultures.

 

It was past noon by now, so we decided to venture into the town of

Tiwanaku to find a cheap place to eat. After a delicious meal of soup

and rice, we found a store selling treats to the hoards of

turquoise-sweater-wearing school kids. We bought ice cream and then

headed towards the second complex of ruins: Puma Punku. We were the only

ones there for most of the time and it was magical. There was some

impressive stonework and it was super cool to walk around the earth

pyramid and see it from all angles.

 

Finally, we visited the ceramics museum, which was very busy with tour

groups. It was still cool though, to see the pottery and a few textiles

that had been used in the site.

 

Tired after such a fun day, we got on another mini-bus and headed back

to La Paz.

Done