Tiwanaku, Bolivia

Tiwanaku, located near the border between Bolivia and Peru, is a sacred site in Bolivia. For almost 3000 years, it is the first major city-state in Andes. It is claimed by the Inca and the indigenous Aymara people as their ancestral home. The appearance of Tiwanaku nowadays is a result of continuous growth and construction. This includes several building campaigns, centuries of abandonment, and extensive looting of stone for building materials, reconstructions and excavations. A railroad was also built there during the 20th century. The rate of pillage increases, thus disparaging the site. It is facing a serious problem of erosion and poor conservation because of a combination of severe destruction through looting, unmanaged development surrounding the site as well as irresponsible reconstructions. It also loses its authenticity because of such questionable reconstructions, on-going excavation, and poorly planned visitor accoutrements such as modern staircases, barbed wire fences, and cement platforms which makes the site unattractive.