Tiwanaku

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I arrived on the 7th of February for my first day alone on the trip. I got some good sleep after 2 nights of sleeping on the floor in Oruro.

Today I went to Tiwanaku, a famous archeological site near La Paz that was home to, yes, the Tiwanaku civilization. They existed from 1500 BC until about 1200 AD and controlled territory almost as widespread as the Incas. They had some impressive sculptures, strangely shaped skulls (because the rich men would strap boards around their heads while they were children as some sort of status symbol), and a huge pyramid that still has yet to be unearthed.

A 50 Bs tour took me there on this, a national holiday. It was the only way i could get out there. It was a nice day trip from La Paz.

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Photos

Wall of Heads
I missed the explanation of this odd piece of architecture.

Me atop the "Pyramid"
Sonar analysis tells archeologists that what i am standing on is a gigantic pyramid, but you could have fooled me.

Astronomical Observatory
On the summer (or winter, i forget) solstice the sun rises dead center in this doorway.

Long row of water spigots
They would let the water fall from the channels high on the wall so that people could collect it in freefall.

Off-center picture
Well, despite the angle, you can see that this is the Sun Gate, the most famous monument from Tiwanaku. It alegedly is a big calendar. Legend has it that Simon Bolivar (one of the liberators of south america) discovered it and had it raised up from its then fallen state.

Odd hand shapes on Tiwanaku sculpture
I don't know if you can see it but the statue's hands are held in a very awkward position, just like in almost every other Tiwanaku sculpture. I heard no satisfactory explanation for this.

Spanish Cross on Tiwanaku Sculpture
The Spanish colonizers defiled all Tiwanaku sculptures with similar crosses to "exorcise" them.