Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF TIWANAKU AND THE AYMARA
NEW YEAR
For all its political and economic power, Tiwanaku's transcendental importance was un-
doubtedly
religious
. The first Spanish chroniclers to visit the site were told its name was
“Taipicala”,afterthestoneatthecentre,whereitwasbelievedtheuniversewascreatedand
from whence the first humans set forth to colonize the world. The Incas themselves con-
sciouslysoughttoassociate themselves withthespirituallegitimacy ofTiwanaku,claiming
their own dynasty had been brought into existence at nearby Lago Titicaca.
The US anthropologist Johan Reinhard has sought to explain the spiritual importance of
Tiwanaku in terms of
sacred geography
, a system of beliefs related to mountain worship
and fertility cults, which is still prevalent in the Andes today. The high mountain peaks are
considered powerful deities, known as
achachilas
in Aymara, who control meteorological
phenomena and the fertility of crops and animals.
The most spectacular manifestation of these beliefs is during the
Aymara New Year
on
the June winter solstice, when hundreds of
yatiris
(traditional priests) from all over the re-
gion (as well as a sizeable contingent of gringos) congregate at Tiwanaku to watch the sun
rise and celebrate with music, dancing, elaborate rituals and copious quantities of coca and
alcohol.
Evo Morales
even sealed his election victory with a crowning ceremony here.
In terms of sacred geography, Tiwanaku's position could not be more propitious, set close
to
Lago Titicaca
with a view east to
Illimani
, the most important
mountain god
in the Al-
tiplano, and aligned with
Illampu
and
Sajama
, the second and third most important peaks.
Though it can't be proved, it seems likely that the builders of Tiwanaku chose the site with
these concepts in mind, even though it meant they had to transport stones weighing hun-
dreds of tonnes from across the lake.
Brief history
The Tiwanaku civilization was first established around 1200 BC, with an economy based on
potato cultivation
and
llama herding
. By 100 BC it had become an important urban centre,
and an organized state with distinct classes of priests, warriors, artisans and aristocrats is
thought to have emerged. By 400 AD this state controlled the whole Titicaca basin - an area
of some 57,000 square kilometres extending out from the lake between Bolivia's Cordillera
Real and Peru and Chile's Cordillera Occidental - and had begun extending its influence.
700-1000 AD
From around 700 AD Tiwanaku expanded rapidly to dominate an area comprising much of
modern Bolivia, southern Peru, northeast Argentina and northern Chile. The key to this ex-
pansion was a remarkable agricultural system of raised fields, known as
sukakullo
, which
revolutionized food production along the shores of Lago Titicaca and freed vast amounts of
