Tiahuanaco: A Day Trip from La Paz

This day trip from La Paz was simply ok. For those traveling on a tight budget I would say skip it. I hope it will be useful to me in putting the Inca ruins at Machu Pichu into perspective. The guide, Freddy, was very knowlegable even if some of the information seemed to be made up. (Ex. There are ten openings because there are 10 fingers) The trip cost 140 Bolivianos + 25 bolivianos for lunch. (Expensive for the amount we saw.)

Here are some of the highlights and interesting points I learnt about the Tiwanaku people and their rule over the area.

The ruins of Tiwanaku are located about an hour and a half west of La Paz. The location between the lake and dry highlands provided key resources for the population, including fish, wild birds, plants, and herding grounds for llamas.

Originally, around 1500 BCE the city was founded for its agricultural potential. Later, around 300 BCE when the Tiwanaku people began to expand and concur vast areas, Tiwanaku became the cosmological center of the Tiwanaku empire. At one point, the empire reached from the sea in the west to the amazon in the east.

Towards the end of the empires downfall, the Tiwanaku split into at least seven groups. (Kolla, Lupaka, Pakaxa, Mollo, Karanga, Charka, Chicha) These divided groups were later conquered by the Inca.

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