La Paz & Around - Bolivia - page 148

area into pasture and cropland; the Church kept some of the statues or sold them as curios;
and the larger stonework went into Spanish construction projects, and even into the bed of
the La Paz-Guaqui rail line that passes just south of the site.
Fortunately, a portion of the treasure has been preserved, and some of it remains in
Bolivia. A few of the larger anthropomorphic stone statues have been left on the site, and
the onsite museum has a decent collection of pottery and other objects. Others are on dis-
play at the Museo Nacional de Arqueología ( Click here ) in La Paz.
History
Although no one is certain whether it was the capital of a nation, Tiwanaku undoubtedly
served as a great ceremonial center. At its height the city had a population of 20,000 in-
habitants and encompassed approximately 2.6 sq km.
Some say the name roughly translates to 'the dry coast' or 'stone in the center,' and the
3870m (12,696 ft) city most likely sat on the edge of Lake Titicaca, serving as the cere-
monial center for the regions south of the lake.
While only 30 percent of the original site has been excavated - and what remains is less
than overwhelming - the Tiwanaku culture made great advances in architecture, math and
astronomy well before the Inca ascendancy.
Archaeologists divide the development of the Tiwanaku into five distinct periods,
numbered Tiwanaku I through V, each of which has its own outstanding attributes.
The Tiwanaku I period falls between the advent of the Tiwanaku civilization and the
middle of the 5th century BC. Significant finds from this period include multicolored pot-
tery and human or animal effigies in painted clay. Tiwanaku II, which ended around the
beginning of the Christian era, is hallmarked by ceramic vessels with horizontal handles.
Tiwanaku III dominated the next 300 years, and was characterized by tricolor pottery of
geometric design, often decorated with images of stylized animals.
Tiwanaku IV, also known as the Classic Period, developed between AD 300 and 700.
The large stone structures that dominate the site today were constructed during this period.
The use of bronze and gold is considered evidence of contact with groups further east in
the Cochabamba valley and further west on the Peruvian coast. Tiwanaku IV pottery is
largely anthropomorphic. Pieces uncovered by archaeologists include some in the shape of
human heads and faces with bulging cheeks, indicating that the coca leaf was already in
use at this time.
Tiwanaku V, also called the Expansive Period, is marked by a decline that lasted until
Tiwanaku's population completely disappeared around 1200. Were they the victims of
war, famine, climate change or alien abductions? Nobody knows, though most archaeolo-