WELCOME TO
THIS POST!
SOME NICE FLOWERS FOR MY READERS!
Flowers at Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Click to enlarge
Source: Ricampelo, CC BY 3.0. Wikimedia Commons
TIWANAKU.
LOCATION OF TIWANAKU CITIES
Click to enlarge
Source: Saysi, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
This famous
site is recognized as a precursor of the Inca Empire. The ruins of this city
state are located on the shores of Lake Titicaca, quite near to the modern day
city of La Paz.
Due to its location,
the indigenous inhabitants of Tiwanaku could count on key resources such as
fish, birds, plants and grazing grounds for the llama camelids.
One of the
factors that made this city state so great was the ability of the inhabitants
to control the rainfall and to use it in their farming.
The very
high altitudes of the Titicaca Basin, with its sharp drops in temperature and the
frequent risk of frosts, required the development of the farming technique
known as “flooded-raised fields” which were called suka kollus.
For this
specific kind of farming, artificially raised long mounds were constructed,
separated by canals that were filled with water. The canals supplied moisture
for the plants that were developing on the mounds, but also served as thermal
insulation, because they absorbed the heat from the sun during the day and
emitted this heat during the very cold nights.
In
addition, the canals were also used to farm edible fish, and the sediments were
then scraped up and used as fertilizers.
In recent years,
many of these suka kollus have been
observed through satellite views of their fossilized outlines, and the
researchers have been amazed by the enormous potential for food crops their
overall area represented during the height of the Tiwanaku expansion period.
The Tiwanaku
Empire continued to grow and develop, and by about 700 AD had become an
important power, as well as an efficiently organized religious center, which
had gradually absorbed all the smaller cultures that surrounded it.
The
stability of this empire was based on the power wielded by an elite, and the
members of this elite were the controllers of the food surplus that was
produced by the highly technological “raised mounds and canals” system. The
control of the herds of llamas was also very significant, because these beasts
were used for transporting food to all the corners of the now extensive empire.
At the
height of its development, the Tiwanaku culture extended over southern Peru and
Bolivia, and the northern areas of present day Chile and Argentina.
TIWANAKU IN BOLIVIA
Click to enlarge
Source: Dbogger, Public Domain,. Wikimedia Commons
SOME IMPORTANT
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AT TIWANAKU TODAY.
Excavations
have been carried out at the Akapana, Akapana East and Pumapunku. All three are
basically platforms with steps. Other important sites are the Kalasasaya and
the Semi-Subterranean Temple. These structures can be visited by the present
day tourists.
All these
monumental structures were based on the use of rectangular ashlar blocks and
provided with very refined drainage systems. The ashlar blocks show very fine
joins between them because the masonry know-how that was employed was really
extraordinary.
The
characteristics of these monumental structures have lead researchers to believe
that the Tiwanaku architects used elements of advanced descriptive geometry and
were very proficient with the concepts of the theory of proportions.
One of the
most impressive features of Pumapunku is the stone terrace known as the “Plataforma
Lítica”. Within this terrace is the largest ashlar block found so far at Tiwanaku,
calculated to weigh 131 metric tones. The second largest block has been
calculated at 85 metric tons.
The
Kalasasaya is famous as the site of the Gateway of the Sun, a huge monolithic structure.
THE KALASASAYA TEMPLE
Click to enlarge
Source: Marc Davis, CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons
THE ENORMOUS GATEWAY OF THE SUN
,+jmage,+CC+BY+2.0.Wikim.+Comm.jpg)
Click to enlarge
Source: jmage, CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons
CLOSE-UP OF THE FRIEZE AT THE TOP OF THE GATEWAY OF THE SUN
The figure is thought to represent the God Viracocha, the Supreme Creator
Click to enlarge
Source: swifant, CC BY SA 2.0. Flickr
THE END OF THE TIWANAKU EMPIRE.
Around the
year 950 AD, there was a dramatic change in the climatic conditions of the
Titicaca Basin. It is thought that there was a great drought that practically
eliminated the rains in the area. As food production dropped, the elite’s power
began to decline. By 1000 AD, Tiwanaku had disappeared, to be gradually
replaced by the rising power of the Inca culture to the north.
By the 13th
century, the Inca Empire was dominant in the region. In 1445 Ad, Inca Pachacuti
Yupanqui conquered the Titicaca area, incorporating what was left of the
Tiwanaku culture into the Inca Empire.
The
Tiwanaku civilization was no more.
PUMA PUNKU
H profile blocks, part of a major wall
Click to enlarge
Source: Janikorpi, CC BY 3.0. Wikimedia Commons
SPANISH VERSION
(This Blog
is bilingual).
En este post me he referido al sitio arqueológico
precolombino de Tiwanaku, que se ubica a
orillas del Lago Titicaca, bastante cerca de la moderna ciudad de La Paz en
Bolivia.
Esta ciudad estado se transformó gradualmente en un poderoso
imperio. Un elemento esencial de su desarrollo fue la habilidad de sus
habitantes para controlar una serie de elementos que contribuyeron al
desarrollo de su agricultura.
Eran especialista en las técnicas centradas en el uso de las
“camas altas provistas de canales de regadío”, que ellos llamaban suka kollus. Para tales efectos,
construyeron largos lechos de plantación en altura, separados por canales de
regadío.
El agua de los canales no sólo proveía de humedad a las plantas, sino
que además absorbía los rayos del sol durante el día y durante la noche emitía
gradualmente el calor retenido en el agua, contrarrestando de esta forma el
peligro de las heladas.
Además, los canales permitieron las cosechas de peces
comestibles y los sedimentos eran retirados y usados como fertilizantes en lo
alto de los lechos de plantación.
En el presente ha sido posible distinguir la extensión de
los suka kollus mediante las tomas
satelitales de sus contornos fosilizados. Los investigadores han quedado
admirados por la enorme extensión que cubrían.
Hacia el año 700 AD, El Imperio de Tiwanaku se había
transformado en un poderoso y bien organizado centro religioso que había
absorbido prácticamente todas las culturas menores de sus alrededores.
La estabilidad del Imperio se basaba en el poder centrado en
el grupo de elite que controlaba los excedentes de los alimentos producidos por
la mano de obra común, en el sistema altamente tecnificado de los suka kollus.
También era muy importante
ser dueño de grandes manadas de llamas, ya que eran las bestias de carga
mediante los que se transportaban los alimentos a todos los rincones del área
bajo el dominio de Tiwanaku.
En la cúspide de su desarrollo, Tiwanaku dominó toda el área
del sur de Perú y de Bolivia más el norte de Chile y Argentina.
En el post se mencionan también las estructuras arquitectónicas más importantes que han sido
excavadas a la fecha, resaltando el alto grado de perfección de la masonería de
grandes bloques monolíticos.
El eclipse la cultura Tiwanaku se produjo debido a una
dramática variación en el clima alrededor del año 950 AD. La élite perdió su poder
al no contar con los grandes excedentes de alimentos, y Tiwanaku comenzó a
declinar. Su desaparición total se produjo hacia el año 1000 AD para ser
reemplazado por el Imperio Inca.
More about similar topics in a future post. Más sobre temas similares en un próximo post.
LANGUAGE TIPS FOR ENGLISH
Words that go together! * Do
her a favor - * Catch your attention - * Pay a visit - * Save us the trouble – * Right on time
LANGUAGE
TIPS FOR SPANISH.
Expresiones
de uso frecuente: * El tiempo lo cura todo - * La abundancia mata la gana - * La distancia es el olvido
How is your level of comprehension? ¿Cómo
está su nivel de comprensión?
© 2013
joanveronica (Joan Robertson)
I will be very happy to receive your comments! Just
click the word “comments” lower down.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comments here! Thank you!