Tiwanaku, the political and spiritual center in Tiwanaku culture

Unesco's Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization recognized Tiwanaku, the political and spiritual center of Bolivia's Tiwanaku culture, as a World Cultural Heritage in 2000.

Tiwanaku is an ancient city located southeast of Lake Titicaca in western La Paz in Bolivia . This is one of the mysterious places and tourist attractions of South America. The mysterious traces of pre-Columbian times are concentrated in this area. Not only that, this area is also one of the most important places to retain the history of the once powerful Inca empire. This area was once an important political and spiritual site, the capital of a powerful state for 500 years.

After the end of the heyday, the city was abandoned for a long time. During the expedition, studying to write the book " The First Chronicles of the Indies ", the new historian Pedro Cieza de Leon discovered this ancient ruined city . By 1549, Pedro Cieza de Leon found the rest of Tiwanaku. Many theories suggest that the Tiwanaku name is based on the Aymara dialect , meaning " Center" , which implies that the ancient people believed that the city was at the center of the world. However, this problem is just a hypothesis that nothing has been proven.

Based on the remaining signs, archaeologists believe that the area around the Tiwanaku has been inhabited by people since 1500 BC. Most studies are consistent with the hypothesis, Tiwanaku developed during the years between 300 and 1000 BC. At this time, Tiwanaku city became the political and spiritual center of the whole region.

In 1945, in a research project, scientist Arthur Posnansky used astronomical techniques and estimated the Tiwanaku city to be 15,000 years old. However, the use of this technique has many conflicting opinions and is not sure with its accuracy. However, most scientists, archaeologists and historians agree that Tiwanaku is the oldest city in the world . The city existed before the time of Lake Titicaca . There are documents that suggest that a massive flood from tens of thousands of years ago engulfed the city in the sea and formed Lake Titicaca today. Is this correct or not, but there is one fact that after thousands of years, Lake Titicaca's water level has gradually receded and from here the vestiges of an ancient city are revealed.

Tiwanaku city is located in a hot and dry climate area, thanks to Lake Titicaca, the temperature of this place is better regulated. Water at Lake Titicaca is not only a source of drinking water for the city of Tiwanaku but also helps to develop agriculture, as well as the cultivation of residents in the city more convenient.

Tiwanaku empire flourished and flourished in the 7.8 th century. At that time of prosperity, the empire continued to expand by opening land or marrying the daughters of the patriarchs for other tribes to expand the territory. The powerful Tiwanaku empire has built many high-value architectural works in both art and use . Especially today, after thousands of years, this powerful empire along with its city is still a research topic of many scholars and archaeologists around the world. The reason is because, the mysteries of this city to this day have not been completely decoded.

Tiwanaku's dominance began to decline in the 11th century and collapsed in the 12th century. However, the reason why the collapse is still unspecified, is also a riddle that makes historians , archaeological headache for years.

Due to climate change, the land around the stronghold of the ancient Tiwanaku empire has been buried and desolate, trees cannot grow here. The remnant remains today with only a few buildings left, in particular the Puerta del Sol , which is a monumentally rectangular monument because it is made up of only one. The stone slab weighs 45 tons with carvings are the linih symbols of the old Tiwanaku. Until now, archaeologists are still continuing to research and learn about techniques to build these structures of Tiwanaku people. These ancient buildings are worth the same value as the ancient structures in Machu Pichu in Peru.

Tiwanaku, the political and spiritual center in Tiwanaku culture is recognized by Unesco according to criteria (iii), (iv).

Criterion (iii): Monuments and architectural structures left at Tiwanaku are testament to the prosperity of the Tiwanaku empire for a long time.

Criterion (iv): Ancient Tiwanaku city is also a political and spiritual center - important elements to illustrate Tiwanaku culture.