Tiwanaku

Listen for the wind first. Up here on the high Bolivian plain, it moves across open grassland with almost nothing to stop it. The air is thin and dry, and the sunlight has a hard, clear edge. Under your feet the ground is dusty and pale. Around you, low mounds rise from the earth, and grey and reddish stones stand in quiet lines. This is Tiwanaku. More than a thousand years ago, it was one of the great cities of the ancient Americas.

Take a moment to feel where you are. You are standing at roughly 3,800 metres above sea level. That is higher than many mountain summits in Europe. If you feel slightly breathless, that is normal. Lake Titicaca lies not far to the north, beyond the horizon. The mountains of the Cordillera Real, often capped with snow, line the distance. This was not an easy place to build a city... and yet people did, and they did it well.

The Tiwanaku culture reached its height in the second half of the first millennium, roughly between 500 and 1000 of the common era. That is centuries before the Inca. At its peak, the city was a religious and political centre. Its influence spread across parts of what are now Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. Archaeologists still debate how far that influence was trade, how far it was religion, and how far it was power.

How did a large population survive at this altitude? Part of the answer lies in the fields around you. The people of Tiwanaku used a farming method known locally as suka kollus — raised fields. They built long platforms of earth separated by channels of water. The water absorbed the heat of the day and released it at night. This helped protect crops from the frost that falls hard on these plains. Some local communities have experimented with reviving the technique in modern times.

Now look toward the largest mound on the site. This is the Akapana, a great stepped platform built in terraces. Today it looks worn and broken, more like a hill than a building. That is no accident of time alone. After the Spanish arrived, treasure hunters dug into its top, searching for gold. Much of the stone facing was also carried away over the centuries. What you see is the core of the structure, with only parts of its original walls.

Here is something many visitors miss. Tiwanaku did not simply fall into ruin. It was quarried. Carved stones from the site were taken to build houses and the colonial church in the nearby village. In the early twentieth century, stone was also used in the construction of a railway across the plain. So pieces of this ancient city are scattered through the landscape around you, hidden in walls that look ordinary.

Next, walk toward the Kalasasaya. This is a large rectangular platform enclosed by walls of tall standing stones. Between the upright pillars, smaller blocks fill the gaps. Notice how clean and straight some sections look. Parts of these walls were reconstructed during the twentieth century. That restoration has been criticised by some archaeologists, because not everything was rebuilt exactly as it once stood. It is worth keeping in mind as you look — this is partly ancient, partly modern interpretation.

Inside the Kalasasaya, stone figures stand upright. These are the monoliths, tall carved statues of human figures. Look closely at their hands. They often hold objects against their chests. Researchers have suggested these may be ritual vessels or ceremonial items. Their faces are flat and square, with large eyes. The surfaces are covered in fine, shallow carving. Patterns of clothing and symbols wrap around the bodies like embroidered cloth turned into stone.

At one corner of the Kalasasaya stands the most famous object at Tiwanaku: the Gateway of the Sun. It is cut from a single block of andesite, a hard volcanic stone. Above the doorway, a central figure holds a staff in each hand. Rays or extensions spread from its head. Around it, rows of smaller winged figures appear to move toward the centre. Look carefully and you will see a large crack running through the stone. Scholars believe the gate may not stand in its original position.

Just beside the Kalasasaya, you will find a sunken courtyard. This is the Semi-subterranean Temple. You look down into it from the edge. Its walls are set with carved stone heads, each one different. Some have wide eyes, others have strange headdresses or worn-away features. Nobody knows for certain who these faces represent. Some suggest they show ancestors, others think they may represent the peoples connected to Tiwanaku. Whatever their meaning, standing among them feels like being watched by a crowd.

A short distance away lies a second major complex called Puma Punku. Its stones are famous for their precision. Some blocks are cut with sharp inner corners, flat faces, and repeated shapes, such as the so-called H-blocks. The builders also used metal clamps, poured into grooves to hold stones together. Puma Punku has attracted many wild theories online. The real story is more impressive — skilled human workers, using stone tools and great patience, achieved this.

Tiwanaku is not only a place of the past. For the Aymara people who live on this plain today, it remains a sacred place. Each year around the June solstice, crowds gather here before dawn to greet the first rays of the sun. This marks the Aymara New Year, a celebration called Willkakuti. In 2006, Bolivia's first Indigenous president held a spiritual ceremony here before his official inauguration. The site carries living meaning, not just archaeological interest.

In 2000, UNESCO added Tiwanaku to its World Heritage list. The city declined sometime around the end of the first millennium. Many researchers link that decline to a long period of drought, which would have damaged the farming system that supported the city. But the details are still debated. Excavation continues, and much of the site remains underground. Every few years, new work changes what we understand about this place.

Before you leave, stand still for a moment. Look at the gap between the stones and the open sky. Notice how quiet it is now, compared with the city that once filled this plain. As you walk back toward the village, look at the walls you pass. Some of those stones may once have stood here. Tiwanaku did not vanish. It simply spread out into the land around you.