The famous archaeological complex of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia now consists of two separate zones. A significant part of megalithic structures is concentrated in a single - main zone, separately from which - at a distance of about eight hundred meters - there is an object called Puma-Punku.
For quite a long time, large-scale archaeological work has not been carried out at Puma-Punku. All this time, the researchers could see only a small part of the structures, which did not give any complete idea of the original form of the structure. As a result, and with the light hand of Arthur Poznansky, a Bolivian of Polish origin who devoted almost his entire life to the study of Tiahuanaco, the hypothesis put forward by him a hundred years ago (and, as it is now clear - erroneous) hypothesis that Puma-Punku was a kind of port a structure located in ancient times on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Let's examine this mysterious structure in more detail and get acquainted with the most incredible versions …
Today, Lake Titicaca is located three dozen kilometers from Puma Punku. Accordingly, this led to a version of a strong shallowing of the lake, which previously allegedly reached Tiahunaco. However, in the second half of the twentieth century, as a result of underwater research at the bottom of Titicaca, the remains of ancient structures were discovered, which required not a decrease, but an increase in the lake depth over time. An obvious contradiction arose, which they tried to resolve with the hypothesis of periodic fluctuations in the water level in Titicaca with a rather large amplitude in amplitude.
In the course of excavations, which began towards the end of the twentieth century and continue periodically to this day, it was possible to approximately restore the original appearance of Puma-Punku, which turned out to be a group of structures on a hill (apparently of artificial origin), surrounded by masonry and towering above the surrounding area in the form of a three-dimensional letter "T" with a thickened "leg". So it could in no way be a port on the shore of the lake - if water reached here, it would surround Puma Punku from all sides, and the complex would simply turn into an isolated island.
Alas. Despite all this, the statement about Puma Punku as an ancient port on the shores of Lake Titicaca continues to wander from book to book …
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The stone facing of the hill is made in the form of two clearly visible tiers of masonry from rectangular blocks of relatively small size - only a few tens, maximum hundreds of kilograms. The blocks are carefully fitted to each other without any mortar.
At first glance, the cladding is of little interest. But a more detailed examination of it - especially on the lower tier, where it is better preserved - reveals a number of curious and even strange details.
Firstly, the bulk of the blocks are made in a very high quality in the form of rectangular parallelepipeds with very even - sometimes even polished - edges. However, here and there in the masonry there are blocks that do not have even edges either from the end or from the upper side - they seem to have not been processed to the end.
Secondly, with a general very high-quality leveling of the cladding, there are blocks that either protrude slightly from the masonry, or are slightly "pressed" into it. Moreover, this "festivities" is not in the nature of damage over time (for example, due to earthquakes), but of the initial error. There is a feeling that it was important for the builders to maintain only the general perimeter line, and "small details" were not important.
This, however, is quite logical if, say, the lower tier was something like a foundation submerged below ground level. This assumption corresponds to the good preservation of the blocks, which could thus be protected from the effects of external factors, respectively, and from erosion.
But what could be the foundation of the laying of the lower tier?.. It is not clear …
Thirdly, the upper level of the masonry (lower tier) was formed by monoliths, which for some reason were given the shape of two steps, and then additional blocks were laid on the lower of these two steps. The purpose of this clearly deliberate design decision is also completely unclear. But it requires quite a lot of additional work. And this riddle is only reinforced by the presence at this level of periodic "inserts-locks", which clearly served to strengthen the masonry and did not have any two-step edge.
Fourthly, the upper face of two-stage monoliths is most often not completely finished. There is a feeling of some kind of incomplete work, supported by the presence of blocks here and there, on which even the steps are not completed …
Those blocks of the facing of the hill, which have a perfect shape and very smooth edges, give the impression that they came out from under some kind of modern stone-cutting machine. And the fact that unfinished blocks are found in the masonry among even blocks leads to the idea that the creation of even blocks was not a problem for the builders. The smooth shape and polished edges were the “automatic” result of the technology that was used to make the blocks. They did not require separate labor costs from the builders, and therefore it was not a pity to put them in the masonry next to those blocks that had separate unaligned edges.
This is absolutely inconceivable when manually working with the simplest tools that the Indians had in this area at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards. This is only possible in the case of machine production. So we should definitely talk about a highly developed civilization in a technical respect, and not at all about some Indian "Tiahuanaco culture", to which historians attribute the creation of Puma-Punku.
However, the Indians here also put their hand - they were engaged in partial restoration of the ancient structure. This is especially noticeable on the eastern side of the hill, where its cladding is made up of completely free-form blocks, debris and even just broken stone. In the masonry there was even a fragment of the gate covering, which the Indians put here, confusing the top with the bottom.
However, only the southern side of the hill looks even and qualitatively, which archaeologists have clearly cleaned up in order to enable tourists to admire its original form. Although they dug up the opposite northern side, they left a number of blocks, so to speak, "in situ" - that is, in the position in which they were found. In order to preserve their position, they even left a kind of "columns" of soil under them, on which the blocks are now held. Thanks to this, archaeologists seemed to “have photographed the state in which they found the remains of an ancient structure. And this is a state of complete chaos as a result of total destruction!..
It is clearly seen that the cladding of the hill has remained practically intact. Something above was destroyed. Including some structures that were located on the hill. This, however, can be seen by going up the hill itself.
A similar chaos of total destruction can be seen where an excavation was made in the center of the hill at its top. The large stone block remained here lying in the middle of the excavation in the state in which it appeared as if after incredible somersaults in the air, although it weighs tens of tons. And from the walls of the excavation, parts of the blocks peep out, which also lie in a chaotically disordered position.
What could have caused such massive destruction?..
A person would not create chaos of this level. After his actions, enough compact piles of ruins would remain, which archaeologists quite easily restore, but here they do not even undertake any reconstruction, since with such a degree of destruction, almost all traces of any initial forms were destroyed (with the exception of masonry along perimeter of the hill).
There would be "compact" consequences in the event of an earthquake. Even with a fairly large one. The hill here is very low, and even with significant movements of the ground, the blocks simply have nowhere to scatter too much.
From natural causes, only the impact of some powerful water flow remains. For example, during the events of the World Flood, when a huge tsunami hit South America from the Pacific Ocean, traces of which we came across in Ollantaytambo and in the vicinity of the Nazca plateau (see earlier).
Earlier, I already mentioned that archaeologists have found evidence of some kind of global catastrophe in this region a long time ago, similar to the impact of a powerful mudflow. Fragments of human and animal skeletons found by them often lay in a chaotic disorder along with processed stones, tools, lake sand and simple rubble. And researchers have long noticed that the overall picture looks as if all this was dragged, broken and piled up by some force similar to a flood tsunami that reached here from the Pacific Ocean. The presence of representatives of not only freshwater, but also marine flora and fauna in Lake Titicaca indicates the same events. And even an altitude of almost four kilometers is not a special obstacle here, because a tsunami could well reach several kilometers in height and break through the mountain range here,using the passes.
So the destruction in Puma Punku could be attributed to the Flood. However, this is hampered by two points at once.
First, according to local legends, Tiahuanaco (of which Puma Punku is a part) is the capital of Viracocha. God who ruled here not before, but after the Flood.
And secondly, judging by all the geological features available here, the Altiplano plateau itself, as such, was formed precisely during the events of the Flood (see earlier). The tsunami that broke through here brought with it a mass of debris, earth and clay. All this got stuck between two mountain ranges and sank downward, later forming the flat surface of the Altiplano. And Puma-Punku stands right on this surface. And what's more: the structures of stone blocks were placed on a hill, which consists of the very mudflow material brought by the tsunami deluge. So the post-Flood origin of Puma Punku is undeniable. Otherwise, its ruins would not be on the surface, but at a considerable depth (tens, or even hundreds of meters) - under the entire thick sedimentary layer that forms the Altiplano plateau.
However, the version of some other - later - water cataclysm does not pass here either, since the picture of destruction in Puma-Punku has a number of details that are not consistent with the impact of the water flow.
First of all: in the general picture of destruction there is not the slightest sign of "bias" in a specific direction, which would correspond to the direction of movement of water. In Ollantaytambo (see earlier), such a "skew" is literally striking, and it is even possible to restore the course of the stream through it. And here there is nothing of the kind - in Puma-Punku the blocks are scattered almost evenly in different directions, although the water flow would inevitably carry them away in the course of its movement.
Everything looks much more like the consequences of not a water cataclysm, but an explosion!.. Moreover, not even one, but a whole series of explosions!..
This is indicated, for example, by the location of the blocks on the northern side of the hill, where at first the cladding was covered with a layer of soil - the explosion did not reach the target, but threw up a mass of earth into the air, which covered this masonry. And only then the subsequent explosion (or explosions) destroyed some structure of stone blocks that stood on the hill, which fell on top of the layer of soil that was blown down by the first explosion.
The explosive nature of the destruction is especially clearly seen in the eastern part on the surface of the hill, where a platform of huge blocks, weighing up to four hundred tons, was located. This platform has clearly experienced some kind of point impact, the epicenter of which is easily identified by the "dip" just south of its center. Here, from the multi-ton slab, which used to be part of the platform, now there is only a piece that looks out of the ground at an inclination of about 45 degrees to the horizon.
If there was an impact of the water flow, it would have demolished everything. If there was an earthquake, all the blocks of the platform would move. Here, only one of the blocks was torn out of the common masonry, and the rest remained in their places. Such consequences could only have happened in an explosion. Moreover - if we take into account the weight of the platform blocks and the position of the remaining piece - during an explosion of quite considerable power!..
Apparently, this platform served as the foundation of some kind of structure, the fragments of which are scattered around. And if we proceed from the fact that here (as in other places in Puma-Punku) archaeologists worked with minimal disruption of the original position of the stones, then the explosion not only destroyed the structure, but also threw the blocks that made it up a considerable distance. There are no blocks or their fragments around the destroyed part of the platform - they are all a little further away and are actually located in a circle around the epicenter, as it should be during an explosion.
If we evaluate the picture of destruction as a whole, then the explosion (or even several explosions) completely destroyed the structures on the hill and practically did not damage the masonry along its perimeter. Everything very much resembles the consequences of a targeted missile strike!..
However, by this time we had practically formed the opinion that in South America we are dealing with traces of a global armed conflict between representatives of an ancient highly developed civilization, which entered the ancient legends and traditions of our ancestors and is called the "War of the Gods". The current state of Puma-Punku finally convinced us that the "gods" who created structures on the South American continent not only took part in this armed conflict, but also turned out to be the loser, since nowhere - not in Sacsayhuaman ("Exploded Temple"), neither in Kenko, nor even more so in Puma-Punku and on the main complex of Tiahuanaco (see below), we did not find absolutely any signs that indicated at least the attempts of an ancient highly developed civilization to restore what was destroyed during the "War of the Gods".
The fact that we are dealing with traces of a highly technically developed civilization (and very highly developed), in Puma-Punku, absolutely no doubts arise. Those samples of stone processing that are here go beyond all conceivable limits of the possibilities of those simple technologies and tools that the Indians of South America had, as well as beyond the possibilities of manual processing in general.
Meanwhile, for several hours of our stay in Puma Punku, not a single tourist dropped by, although during this time, two or three dozen buses arrived from La Paz. There are no organized excursions here, so Puma Punku is often empty. All tourists amicably rush only to the main part of the Tiahuanaco complex. But in vain!.. Indeed, it is in Puma-Punku that perhaps the most impressive examples of high-tech granite processing are located.
Puma-Punku simply amazes with the quality of surface treatment, edges, external and internal corners. Even in terms of the capabilities of today's industry, it is difficult to imagine how some of the blocks were made. Cutouts of various shapes, niches, curly ledges and other very complicated elements are made with excellent quality. The masters were not at all embarrassed that they were working with such a hard rock as andesite - there was just a masterly technique of working with stone.
The shapes are so striking that at times there is a feeling of being cast in concrete. But if it were so, then there would be no questions … However, I can only upset the numerous supporters of the now very popular concrete version - this is precisely the work on the stone. Macro photographs show distinct traces of machining - the harder inclusions are cut along with the rest of the material by something like a saw or cutter. If it was a question of casting concrete into special forms, then solid inclusions would not have such cuts, but would simply sink deep into the solution, maintaining their integrity.
So this is not concrete at all, but andesite - a local type of granite, which was delivered from quarries fifty kilometers from here. And we are not dealing with casting, but with mechanical processing of natural materials. And considering that andesite is a very hard rock, the processing quality is fantastic and often even exceeds the capabilities of modern technologies.
However, there are also other traces of machining. For example, next to a platform of huge slabs stands a granite block with a straight vertical cut, very similar to the cut on the rock in Ollantaytambo (see earlier). True, here it is single, and not double, as in Ollantaytambo. But this incision is also accompanied by a number of regular round holes (more precisely: depressions), which have a diameter of only a couple of millimeters and go deep into the block by about a centimeter.
We could not find any intelligible versions of the answer to the question why someone might need to make such an incision with holes. There is a statement that the details of South American structures in ancient times were decorated with gold, and these holes could serve for fastening such decorative elements, but the configuration of the location of the recesses does not always correspond to this function. Therefore, we agreed only that we will conventionally consider them as "holes for attaching a net that protects against large mosquitoes" …
Another block with similar cuts and holes lies nearby (very close to the excavation site at the top of the hill). Apparently executed using the same tools, it puzzled even more. Two parallel slots actually start out of nowhere - not from the edge, but from a completely arbitrary place on the block. The holes are located on different faces of the block, forming a completely meaningless curvilinear chain. In addition, this block has a figured cutout in the center for attaching some kind of power element (such as a tie), which can withstand a clearly very significant load.
If the purpose of such "delights" of the manufacturers of these blocks remained a complete mystery, then we had no doubts about the use of mechanical tools here - too even slots and grooves, as well as their edges. It is physically impossible to depict anything like that by any "percussion" methods using simple copper and bronze instruments that the local population had in ancient times. Moreover, the beginning of the slots "out of nowhere" on the second block indicates the use of something like a circular saw, not a straight saw …
So here we have quite clear signs of the presence of a highly advanced technically ancient civilization. Moreover, if you focus on legends and traditions, it is very, very ancient, since the "War of the Gods" can be roughly attributed to the period of the VII-V millennium BC. The excellent preservation of the faces and corners on many stone blocks of Puma-Punku, despite their very venerable age, is due to the fact that all this time they were not subjected to the destructive effects of erosion due to the fact that they were underground - they were only recently dug up by archaeologists.
Although archaeologists have not been able to restore even approximately the structures on the hill, curiosity is literally torn apart. I just want to know what exactly could have been located here to be subjected to such a massive blow during the "War of the Gods".
Naturally, first of all, the attention is drawn to the powerful slabs located in the eastern part of the hill. They stand out sharply against the general background with their size. In addition, it is around this place that blocks of the most bizarre shape are scattered, requiring very sophisticated technologies for their creation.
There is practically no doubt that massive slabs served as the foundation for a structure. Moreover, the foundation, which was supposed to ensure the strength and reliability of the entire structure in such an earthquake-prone region. For this, the platform blocks were additionally connected to each other by special metal ties - and not only and not so much the "T" -shaped shape familiar to South America, but more similar to thick brackets.
However, there are recesses for the screeds on the mass of other blocks, which previously formed not the foundation, but the structures above. And these recesses here have the most diverse shapes (there are even those that resemble recesses for modern fittings).
Archaeologists have found some screeds. According to the available information, analysis of the chemical composition of the screed metal gave a very unexpected result: two percent of arsenic and nickel were added to the copper. In principle, theoretically, this should not be something strange, since arsenic bronze has been smelted for a long time (arsenic significantly reduces the melting point of ore), and nickel is a fairly common element in nature. The problem is that in Bolivia, not a single deposit has yet been found that would contain all these three elements, especially in the appropriate proportions. But in the course of research to determine the content of isotopes of other elements, it turned out that ancient local Indian products from this alloy (previously considered typical for this region) were obtained … by melting such ties!..
Judging by the variety of shapes, the screeds were not made in advance - the molten metal was poured into the recesses directly at the installation site. And the shape and thickness of the screed was set based on the load that the screed had to withstand. And it is quite natural that the widest recesses are visible precisely on the slabs that previously formed the foundation of the structure.
What was on such a powerful platform in Puma Punku?
For historians and archaeologists, when they come across a megalithic structure, the answer is ready in advance - it was a temple or some other construction of a cult purpose. They cannot imagine anything else …
However, if we are talking about the highest technologies in the processing of hard rocks of stone and powerful explosions as a result of missile strikes, the version of the temple seems at least not very appropriate. For a highly developed civilization of real living "gods", you still need to look for something else …
Due to the strong destruction that scattered the blocks of the structure over a large area, it is hardly possible to restore the original appearance of the structure that once stood on the platform. But on the other hand, you can express some thoughts about its functional purpose …
The attention of researchers has long been attracted by the very unusual shape of some blocks located in the immediate vicinity of the platform. And especially those that resemble the letter "H". Not only do they have niches at the bottom and at the top, additional recesses are made in the center of these niches, which, at first glance, give the impression of purely decorative elements.
Perhaps, the problem here is not even that the manufacture of these niches with "decorative" indentations requires a lot of labor. The ancient craftsmen could have done something different, clearly not experiencing any particular difficulties with the processing of such hard rocks - there are plenty of examples of this.
The fact is that the bulk of megalithic structures in South America is characterized by the so-called polygonal masonry, in which almost every block has its own size and shape. To erect masonry from such "motley" blocks for the ancient builders was not only common, but also expedient, since it provided high seismic resistance of structures. And in Puma-Punku we are faced with a fundamentally different approach, where there is explicit standardization and unification - blocks in the shape of the letter "H" are extremely similar to each other not only in shape, but also in size (both in general and in details) …
Since these blocks strongly resemble a children's construction set (or a toy "Lego", as it is now called), researchers have long suggested that they were used to create some kind of composite structures. But which ones?..
And here an additional problem arose: for all reasons, something was clearly inserted into the niches (this version literally suggests itself), however, what could enter them - that is, the so-called counterparts of the structure - are not in Puma-Punku. Moreover, there is nothing at all even in the least similar to such a counterpart.
In addition, for the variant with a counterpart made of the same stone (which also suggests itself in the first place), the function of "decorative" recesses in niches is absolutely unclear. It seems that they could serve for adhesion to the counterpart, which in this case should have had projections corresponding in shape, but then the installation process should have been accompanied by the frontal alignment of the two blocks. Meanwhile, a close examination of the niches reveals that their side walls are not at all perpendicular to the surface of the block, but slightly widen inward. Such an increase in the width of the niche is quite expedient if the counterpart has a corresponding shape with slightly "chamfered" side surfaces, since in this case additional block coupling is provided. But the trouble is that when this additional coupling is provided, the blocks cannot move in the frontal direction (which is necessary for the coupling of the blocks due to the "decorative" recess and the counter projection), and the counterpart must enter the niche not from the front side, but from the end !. It turns out that one functional element contradicts another. Either there is no need to increase the width of the niche, or "decorative" recesses are superfluous … But there are both elements!.. What to do? ……..
In fact, the answer is quite easy to find if you abandon the idea that the counterpart was made of stone and was generally monolithic. This counterpart really had a shape that corresponded precisely to the niche expanding inward, and was inserted from the end. But on the back (back) side of the counterpart there was a spring-loaded locking mechanism, which corresponded in shape to the "decorative" recess and acted on the principle of the familiar lock on bags and briefcases - when you pressed the lock, it was sunk inside, and the counterpart could be inserted from the end into the niche of the block with the shape of the letter "H", and when the lock reached the "decorative" recess, the spring straightened and the lock entered the recess, thus securing the counterpart and preventing it from spontaneous end movements. And if you make the lock slightly rounded at the edges,then the counterpart will not only be inserted into the "letter H", but also, if necessary, removed from there, if an appropriate effort is applied to it …
A similar design principle is used now, for example, in military technology, when complex equipment and equipment is assembled on a special frame (or case) from separate blocks, which, if necessary, are quickly removed and inserted into standardized attachment points …
And then it all fits together. Blocks in the shape of the letter "H" (located, most likely, "lying on their side", and not as they were now put by archaeologists) served as a frame or case for equipment of standardized dimensions. The niche served to place this very equipment in it. The expansion of the niche prevented the equipment from falling out of the "frame". And the "decorative" recesses were not decorative at all, but served as a counterpart of the spring lock, which finally fixed the equipment in its place.
That is why we do not find now any counterparts in Puma-Punku, that the equipment, which clearly had considerable value, was taken away from here long ago, and the "mounting frame" in the form of stone blocks with the shape of the letter "H" was thrown as unnecessary - this The "frame" clearly did not represent. And it was most likely done by the "gods" - the winners. Trophies are trophies. In addition, do not throw the same complex equipment (albeit damaged) at the mercy of "talking monkeys" …
By the way, along the way, it can be explained that such blocks are concentrated precisely near the platform - they are not found anywhere else in Puma-Punku. The main equipment - as we often do - was collected in one place.
So, we get the version that in Puma-Punku there was some kind of structure, stuffed with complex equipment. What kind of equipment it was - we can only guess. In the same way, how can we only guess what the building in Puma-Punku was - a space communication point, a tracking station, a computing center, a scientific laboratory or something else. Be that as it may, this object was of some strategic interest in the "War of the Gods", since it was clearly deliberately destroyed in the course of hostilities …
Surely, there will be a reader who will say: “Well, why invent some kind of“War of the Gods”with missile strikes?.. A simple meteorite arrived - smashed Puma-Punku. And that's all!.."
However, this is not the only object in South America with traces of targeted explosions. Some of them have already been mentioned earlier - these are the chulps in Silustan, the "Blown Up Temple" in Saksayhuaman, Kenko-1 and Kenko-2. And for the next example, you don't even have to go far - just walk the same eight hundred meters that separate Puma Punku from the main complex of Tiahuanaco.