Tiwanaku and Pumapunku

Stayed up too late and woke up too early.  Had not adjusted time zones.  Thus slept on the way in to Tiwanaku -- about 72 kilometers or 44 miles from La Paz and perhaps 20 kilometers from the shores of Lake Titicaca -- and missed much of the countryside.  What I did see was a throwback to 1850's Kansas.  Lots of prairie sod homes, with thatched roofs, scrawny cattle and sheep tendered via long ropes to sparse grass, and not a lot else.

Tiwanaku is the most important Pre-Columbian (read as: largey Pre-Inca) archeological site in all of Bolivia.  It flourished as a ritual and administrative center for approximately five hundred years.  The culture went through three different periods, before being supplanted by the Incas, and 100 years later by Spanish Conquistadores.  The site is noteworthy for its massive stonework, which -- much like Stonehenge and The Pyramids in Egypt -- remains unfathomable just how it was transported to the site, and then assembled. 

The site has three primary points of historical interest: The Piramide de Akapana, a seven-tier stepped pyramid (now largely rounded but being restored) that largely served an astronomical purpose, with its primary orientation being toward that of the Southern Cross constellation.  A secondary site, The Templete Semisubterraneo, remains complete and is submerged below ground level at the foot of the Akapana.  It is also oriented toward astrology and seasonal record keeping.  Sundials in the courtyard of this temple, are aligned with the Southern Cross as well.  Best preserved of all, is the adjacent Templo de Kalasasaya.  This temple is dedicated to the Tiwanaku deities.  Its 360 degree rectangular stone perimeter is the object of much conjecture as to "how did they do that?"  The large colorful blocks, when fitted together, are so tight no mortar is necessary to adhere them, and a knife blade will not fit in the joints.  That, and how these massive blocks were conveyed to the fairly isolated location remain the enduring mysteries of Tiwanaku.

Nearby Pumapunku is theorized to have been directly adjacent at one time to Lake Titicaca, now 20 kilometers away.  Its purpose is agricultural and irrigational in some way.  Water gates and canals, reach from the site down its northern bank to what was once clearly a shoreline.  While the remaining stonework is not as impressive as the temples a mile away at Tiwanaku, artifacts and archelogical evidence suggest its stone at one time did not play second fiddle to anybody.  Massive H-blocks, which fit together to make apparent water gates, were so precisely cut modern milling machines could not duplicate the effort today. It is said, such precision can not be accomplished now even using lasers.  How this then came to fruition thousands of years ago, remains the primary mystery of the site. 

Returning "home" to La Paz, I go through yet another trial a la Job with South American efficiencies.  The situation I am about to illustrate, is very typical here.  I go to the travel agency that arranged my excursion today, to pick up ticket vouchers for my follow-on Lake Titicaca leg of the Bolivia segment.  The gentleman who arranged it after much map discussion and reassurance as to timing and prices, had me stranded in Puno !  That is six hours from here, in Peru.  No trip out to the famous Urus floating islands, no overnight stay, and no trip back to La Paz.  Just stranded.  On top of that, he had already arranged himself for a really exciting bike tour the next day nearby to La Paz, on "The Road of Death."  I had told him I was relying on him for everything, as I've found the discussions between those with little Spanish and little English break down quickly without an accomplished guide or translator present.  He just kept looping into the fact "this can't be done for the price I arranged and will cost more money."  He never did grasp that money was not the object, having all the details arranged by somebody who spoke English was.  Well, that and actually coming back to La Paz as part of the itinerary, since I fly out of here for Lima in five days and changes are NOT what you want to do in South America!  Lesson reinforced: you have to confirm everything here. Actually write it down: who, what, when, and where, and at what price?  Draw maps.  Draw arrows.  Who will pick me up, and where?  So I pay an extra $55 to have it the way it was supposed to be in the first place.  And now the Titicaca extension will take 3 days, not 2.  At least I'll be active, seeing worthwhile pursuits, and not baking or standing in line or getting robbed in Santiago. 

Next: Copacabana, Isla Del Sol, Puno, plus Urus Floating Reed Islands (to be posted Feb 9 or 10th)