At the end of the II millennium BC. e. in the mountains of the northeastern regions of South America, the mysterious Chavin culture suddenly appeared and soon disappeared. Its people professed the cult of the jaguar, built stone pyramids, and made exquisite ceramics. Centuries passed, and suddenly, just as unexpectedly, a new civilization, Tiahuanaco, arose in the middle of a high mountain plateau, named after its sacred center.
The name Tiwanaku means Dead City and dates back to the Inca times, when no one lived in the city anymore. The Incas, themselves wonderful builders, were convinced that this huge stone city could only be built by their supreme deity Viracocha.
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine how the stone statues and multi-ton monoliths from which the Eternal City of America was built were transported to Tiahuanaco from the nearest quarry, located about 6 km away. Scientists have calculated that one such block weighing 150 tons could deliver three thousand people per day. Therefore, Tiahuanaco was built as a result of the well-organized labor of many, many thousands of workers. At the same time, there is no convincing evidence of the presence of significant labor resources in ancient Peru.
The greatest interest of archaeologists was attracted by the ruins of a large palace, Kalasasaya, which occupied an area of 17,500 m2. Americanist and archaeologist Arthur Poznansky, a Bolivian of German descent who has devoted his entire life to the study of Tiahuanaco, calls Kalasasaya the main temple of the Sun. This structure was described by one of the first chroniclers of Peru, the Spaniard Cieza de Leon. According to his description, the main attraction of the palace was a large hall with portals and wide windows. Copper and bronze plates were fastened to the walls with gold nails. Until our time, however, only large columns have survived, outlining the outlines of this mysterious building, and a wide stone staircase - the main entrance to the palace. In the northwestern part of the city is the most famous monument of Tiahuanaco - the Gate of the Sun. The upper part of the structure is decorated with a relief,in the center of which a human figure is sculptured, reminiscent of a modern astronaut in a spacesuit. Sun rays radiate out of her head, ending in the image of a cougar's head. The robe of this Tiawanaku "chief god" is decorated with images of a cougar, as well as condors and fish. According to Professor Poznansky, the ancient calendars - solar and lunar - are depicted on the relief of the Gate of the Sun.
Another significant and no less mysterious "object" of the sacred city is the so-called Palace of the Sarcophagi. Nowadays, these are the ruins of a square stone building, in the foundation of which graves were discovered, covered with slabs of colored stone.
But the largest structure of Tiahuanaco is the step pyramid of Akapana with a base of 210 x 210 m. It is believed that an Indian temple once stood on its top, where human sacrifices were made. To this day, no traces of the former temple have survived, and only a small swimming pool remains, oriented exactly from west to east.
There are also preserved stone statues that are larger than even the giant stone heads of the Olmecs and are named after the scientists who discovered them - Bennett's Monolith and Ponce Sanjines Monolith. Bennett's monolith is over seven meters high. The almost rectangular head of the statue is decorated with something like a turban or headband. The eyes look straight, the arms are folded over the chest. Not far from Bennett's Monolith, another, smaller statue of a bearded man was discovered, which is completely atypical for the Indians. Only the white god Viracocha, who descended from the clouds or came from across the sea, wore a beard. According to some historians, the builders of Tiahuanaco were white-skinned aliens, possibly the Vikings. Chronicler Cieza de Leon recorded in the 16th century. from the words of local residents that once people with white skin and large beards came to them, but,"Being few in number in comparison with the local population, they were exterminated in battles."
Sacred Tiahuanaco is located 20 km from the southern shore of the unique alpine Lake Titicaca. It lies in the Andes at an altitude of 3854 m above sea level, has a length of 160 km and a width of 60 km. In the distant past, a cult connection certainly existed between the eternal city of America and Lake Titicaca. On some islets in the middle of the water surface of the lake, it was possible to find the remains of ancient settlements. From the inhabitants of these settlements, reed boats remained, similar to the ancient Egyptian papyrus ships (the famous boat of Thur Heyerdahl "Ra" was built on this type). The piles driven in many centuries ago, coated with a compound that protects the tree from destruction, and more … legends have survived. According to one of them, the Sun liked Lake Titicaca so much that it settled its son and daughter on it, and all men and women on earth went from them.
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During the empire of the Great Inca, residents, on pain of death, were forbidden to approach the piles. On the day of the vernal equinox, the Great Inca himself swam on a reed boat with red threads woven into the island. A tent for the Son of the Sun had already been pitched here. The Great Inca stayed there one whole day. It was believed that the Sun, descending from the sky, comes to the tent and spends the night in conversation with the ruler of the Incas. At that time, no one could even look in the direction of the tent, so as not to be blinded by the intolerable radiance of the Sun reflected in the mirror water. There were legends that at the bottom of Lake Titicaca there are some ancient ruins, and two sacred islands under the water are connected by a heavy gold chain. To establish the truth, the famous oceanographer Jacques Yves Cousteau threw two miniature submarines to the lake and with their help explored the bottom of the reservoir. The submarine crews did not find any chains, but they did see the remains of the stone buildings. This information led scientists to the idea that once the outlines of the shores of Lake Titicaca have undergone changes. It is possible that the lake itself was much wider and the sacred Indian capital of Tiahuanaco was just on the shore. It existed for 1300 years from the 3rd century BC. BC e. In itself, this fact is surprising, for the Tiahuanaki civilization flourished at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level, then, for some unknown reason, the city was abandoned by the inhabitants. Only the masterpieces of ancient architecture, legends and mysteries of Tiahuanaco remain.that the lake itself was much wider and the sacred Indian capital of Tiahuanaco was just on the shore. It existed for 1300 years from the 3rd century BC. BC e. In itself, this fact is surprising, for the Tiahuanaki civilization flourished at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level, then, for some unknown reason, the city was abandoned by the inhabitants. Only the masterpieces of ancient architecture, legends and mysteries of Tiahuanaco remain.that the lake itself was much wider and the sacred Indian capital of Tiahuanaco was just on the shore. It existed for 1300 years from the 3rd century BC. BC e. In itself, this fact is surprising, for the Tiahuanaki civilization flourished at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level, then, for some unknown reason, the city was abandoned by the inhabitants. Only the masterpieces of ancient architecture, legends and mysteries of Tiahuanaco remain.
From the book: "100 Great Mysteries of History".
