Archaeological site Fuerte de Samaipata

Unesco's Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization has recognized Bolivia's Archaeological Site Fuerte de Samaipata as a World Cultural Heritage in 1998.

Fuerte de Samaipata, also known as " El Fuerte " is an archaeological site in Bolivia. This archaeological site is located in the district of Santa Cruz, Florida, at the foot of the Andes. This area not only attracts archaeologists but also tourists because of the beauty and mysteries it contains. The current Fuerte de Samaipata archaeological site is under the administration of the Samaipata city government. This heritage is not only the property of Bolivia but also one of the few masterpieces of stone architecture in the world.

Built with a fortress-like architecture, Fuerte de Samaipata is in fact a religious site . The construction of Fuerte de Samaipata was built in pre-Columbo era by the Chane, a tribe of Arawak originating from the Inca culture. The temple of Fuerte de Samaipata is a place of religious and spiritual rituals during the three centuries from the 14th century to the 16th century.

This work was built during the expansion of the Inca empire to the southeast. The Incas and the Chane have experienced many wars with other tribes to preserve this land for a long time. In those battles, the most intense and intense was the war with the Guarani warriors. After a long period of war, Guarani warriors eventually conquered the Santa Cruz valley plains and destroyed the town of Samaipata. The Guarani army dominated the area until the Spanish colonial period.

After the Spanish domination of the area also built a settlement near the temple - now the archaeological site Fuerte de Samaipata. That settlement is now only left in the vestiges of the Arab architectural works . For some reason, after building this settlement not long ago, the Spaniards abandoned it and moved to build another settlement in a nearby valley, now Samipata town. The whole world today only has the Archaeological Site of Fuerte de Samaipata, which is a place to retain traces of different major cultures: Chane, Inca and Spain.

Archaeological site of Fuerte de Samaipata in Bolivia is divided into 2 main areas with different structures. In it, the first area is an extremely important archaeological site. This area is marked by a great sculpture stone with a length of 250 meters and a width of 60 meters stretching over an area of ​​up to 1.2 hectares. The location of this rock is located on a hill of 1,950 meters above sea level. This is a large sandstone block in the world. The whole face of the stone is carved with animal, geometric and astronomical figures. In this area there is a very special archaeological site called El Cascabel . This was the location marked by the Incas to study astronomy. According to scientists, archaeologists, the Incas marked this position and placed the stones in parallel lines, from the foot position of that arranged rock when the sun rises on August 20, 1066. , ancient Inca astronomers could see planet Venus and Jupiter. Not only that, scientists also believe that these sculpted blocks were etched by the Incas to commemorate Halley Comet Day passing in March 1066. These are proofs of the progress of Inca culture and shows that humans have studied astronomy thousands of years ago.

Giant carvings on the large size sandstone face at the Archaeological Site of Fuerte de Samaipata.

The second area is the old residential and temple area. Currently this area is seriously degraded due to the impact of nature and people. Rain and water caused by erosion down from the mountains around the area have made the symbols and other images on the slab increasingly fuzzy. Besides, the large number of tourists traveling daily on stone slabs also leads to blurring and loss of etchings. Because of the increasing risk of influence, the Bolivian government as well as Samaipata have blocked and banned tourists from traveling in the heritage area. Although the relics can still be visited, tourists can only travel in designated areas, not touching and stepping on stone slabs, especially not allowed to enter the area already. protect.

Remains of the ancient settlements built by the Spaniards are also very few

Archaeological site Fuerte de Samaipata is recognized by Unesco according to the criteria (ii) and (iii).

Criterion (ii): The large temple and rock with sculptural symbols at the Archaeological Site of Fuerte de Samaipata are testimonies representing a political religious center that has existed in history.

Criterion (iii): The archaeological site of Fuerte de Samaipata is the only area in the world to retain traces of different major cultures: Chane, Inca and Spain. Besides, huge stone sculptures here are also one of the unique works in the world.

Due to the impact of nature and humans to relics that are now sealed, tourists are only allowed to travel in regulated areas.