Cultura Tiahuanaco

Ubicación
Ganadería
Agricultura
Economía
¿Qué es?
Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) is an ancient civilization that existed on the
Bolivian Altiplano (the Andes highlands) near present-day La Paz long
before the Incas conquered and colonized the region. Although much
about the Tiahuanacotas remains unknown, archeologists have uncovered
sufficient evidence to believe that the Tiwanaku ruins found near Lake
Titicaca are the remnants of an ancient city and ceremonial site that
functioned as the capital city of the Tiahuanacota culture.
Tiwanaku, also spelled Tiahuanaco or Tiwanacu, major pre-Columbian
civilization known from ruins of the same name that are situated near
the southern shore of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. The main Tiwanaku site
was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2000.
iahuanaco is the most important archaeological site of the Altiplano. It
is located in the department of La Paz (Bolivia), a few kilometers from
Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 3800 m above sea level. From the
earliest days of the conquest, its ruins attracted the attention of the
Spanish chroniclers, such as Cieza de León, Acosta, Garcilaso and
Cobo who left descriptions of the monumental complex.    The
Tiahuanaco culture appeared in the last phase of the Formative period
reaching its apogee in the period of the “Regional States”, and as such
it is the first known Andean urban center. During its Imperial phase,
Tiahuanaco expanded throughout the Andean region to the north
coast of Peru, northern Chile and Argentina, and to the foothills of the
Cordillera in eastern Bolivia. The Tiahuanaco art was superimposed
over the local styles thus creating a mixture of artistic forms. This
expansion, between the ninth and tenth centuries AD was possibly
due to a military, cultural or religious conquest. Some archaeologists
suppose that this conquest was made through Huari, a neighboring
city of the actual Ayacucho (Peru), reason why the style of Tiahuanaco
also receives the name of Huari-Tiahuanaco or Huari.
Organización Social
Escultura
Only a small percentage of the ruins have been uncovered and much still
remains underground
The principal buildings of Tiwanaku include the Akapana Pyramid, a
huge platform mound or stepped pyramid of earth faced with cut
andesite; a rectangular enclosure known as the Kalasasaya,
constructed of alternating tall stone columns and smaller rectangular
blocks; and another enclosure known as the Palacio. A notable feature
of the Kalasasaya is the monolithic Gateway of the Sun, which is
adorned with the carved central figure of a staff-carrying Doorway God
and other subsidiary figures, sometimes referred to as angels or winged
messengers. A great number of freestanding carved stone figures have
also been found at the site. Characteristic pottery is a flared beaker
form, painted with black, white, and light red representations of pumas,
condors, and other creatures on a dark red ground colour. It has been
speculated that the people who built the splendid Tiwanaku complex,
whose culture had vanished by AD 1200, were the ancestors of the
present-day Aymara Indians of highland Bolivia.
The principal buildings of Tiwanaku include the Akapana Pyramid, a
huge platform mound or stepped pyramid of earth faced with cut
andesite; a rectangular enclosure known as the Kalasasaya,
constructed of alternating tall stone columns and smaller rectangular
blocks; and another enclosure known as the Palacio. A notable feature
of the Kalasasaya is the monolithic Gateway of the Sun, which is
adorned with the carved central figure of a staff-carrying Doorway God
and other subsidiary figures, sometimes referred to as angels or
winged messengers. A great number of freestanding carved stone
figures have also been found at the site. Characteristic pottery is a
flared beaker form, painted with black, white, and light red
representations of pumas, condors, and other creatures on a dark red
ground colour. It has been speculated that the people who built the
splendid Tiwanaku complex, whose culture had vanished by AD 1200,
were the ancestors of the present-day Aymara Indians of highland
Bolivia.
Top left: A restored section of the Akapana pyramid (Tiahuanaco
Municipality, La Paz Department, Bolivia). Top right: Entrance to the
Kalasasaya courtyard (Tiahuanaco Municipality). Bottom left: A view
of the man-made platform of Pumapunku (Tiahuanaco Municipality).
Bottom right: Putuni enclosure (Tiahuanaco Municipality).
Top left: A restored section of the Akapana pyramid (Tiahuanaco
Municipality, La Paz Department, Bolivia). Top right: Entrance to
the Kalasasaya courtyard (Tiahuanaco Municipality). Bottom left: A
view of the man-made platform of Pumapunku (Tiahuanaco
Municipality). Bottom right: Putuni enclosure (Tiahuanaco
Municipality).
During this third period, the city of Tiahuanaco was established
and in the following period it was beautified and reformed. To the
fourth period corresponded Puma-Punku and Putuni. The first
consists of a U-shaped platform on which there is a large
building with floors, walls and part of the roof, made of stone.
The stone blocks are monumental and are secured by bronze
brackets. The fourth period is the most significant for its
sculpture and decoration; to it belongs the Puerta del Sol (Gate
of the Sun), the Puerta de la Luna (Gate of the Moon) and the
great anthropomorphic stelae. The main characteristic of the art
of this period is stylization, where all natural forms were reduced
to geometric motifs reminiscent of the textile designs. The
decorative technique used was by incision.
Top: “La Puerta del Sol” (Gate of the Sun) a megalithic solid
stone arch or gateway in the Tiahuanaco Municipality (Bolivia).
This gate is located near Lake Titicaca and is appr. 3.0 m tall
and 4.0 m wide, it was constructed from a single piece of
stone. Some elements of its iconography spread throughout
Peru and other parts of Bolivia. The carvings of the top frieze
are believed to represent some astronomical and/or
astrological significance and may have served a calendrical
purpose. Bottom: The lintel’s reliefs include 48 squares
surrounding a central figure. Each square represents a winged
character. These winged figures include 32 effigies with human
faces and 16 with condors’ heads. All are looking to the central
motif: the figure of a man with his head surrounded by 24
linear rays that probably represent rays of the sun. This central
figure holds styled staffs on each hand that probably are
symbols of thunder and lightning. Some historians and
archaeologists believe that the central figure represents the
“Sun God”, while others believe it to be the Inca god
Viracocha.
In the stelae the facial features were schematic, the arms
were attached to the torso while the hands hold on the
objects identified as “keros*“. The whole body was decorated
with motifs present in the Puerta del Sol. The largest stelae
are the “Bennett” ( 7.30 m high), the “Ponce” and the “El
Fraile” (The Monk). In the same style and from the same
time is the famous Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun), one of
the highest artistic examples of the Tiahuanaco culture. It is
approximately 4 m wide by 2.75 m high and was carved in
one piece. In its upper part there is a frieze that is interrupted
to give way to a flat and frontal figure. In the frieze there are
winged characters, some totally anthropomorphous and
others with the head of a condor. The interpretation of these
elements is much discussed: for some they represent a
calendar, for others it is a mythical group, the central figure
being the representation of Viracocha (the Andean “great
creator” god in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology).