Archaeologists say they discovered the ruins of what they think are the boundaries of the ancient temples belonging to the mysterious Andes Tiwanak Society, disappearing around 1000 AD.
The research team revealed a huge complex of temples in the highlands, which are now Bolivian municipality in Karakollo. The site is southeast of Lake Titicaca, a region other than researchers have previously focused on finding their clues, which could help find out the secrets of this lost society.
The extraordinary find is about 130 miles (about 210 kilometers) south of the established archaeological place in the Tiwanaku, the capital of the powerful empire, which was against the Incas. The latest conclusions were described in a study published on June 24. Antiquite magazine.
The Palaspata published after the name of the native region, the temple is behind the walls where Tiwanaku was previously known, said Bolivian archaeologist and associate professor of Bolivian archaeologist dr. José Capriles.
Capriles, who was the main author of the study, noted that the architectural elements of the building, including the terrace platform and the sinking yard, are reminiscent of the Tiwanaku style found in other parts of the Titicaca lake region. “We do not expect it in this particular place and that it exists is extraordinary,” he said.
The temple, whose trail passing through it from the locals is near the long-term Bolivian travel route, is now called the La Paz-Cochabamba motorway, which connected three trading routes used by other societies that followed as Inca.
The discovery of the temple of the ceremony reveals the relationship between the various territories of the lost society and how the Palaspata may have been the Tiwanaku Society Gate to expand its power in the region, researchers say.
Researchers found a cherry glass on the surface of the ruins. Keru cups were used to drink chicha, corn -based alcohol, and indicate that the temple was used for large gatherings. – José Capriles/Penn State
What was Tiwanaku?
Archaeological research of Tiwanaku places began in the 1860s, but researchers still have little knowledge of society. Most of what experts know was found in the study of ceramic, camel remains and other religious places such as Akapana, who note the heights of the Andes.
For the first time, the Tiwanaku communities appeared on the name of the altiplan or the high -plain plains called the Titicaca Basin, the title of Titicaca Lake.
Due to their local farming culture, like corn, it was difficult, so people relied on Lama caravans to combine the region’s communities and facilitate trade. According to the study, the capital Tiwanak, also known as Tiwanak, ruled the interaction between trade, trade and mutual.
“Tiwanaku was what we call the initial formation of the state, which means that it was a complex society with a complex social stratification,” said Capriles; The empire evolved without external influence and “originated from the previous series of agricultural societies”.
The evidence of Tiwanaku objects such as ceramics shows that Tiwanaku people began to settle in the area around 700 AD, as well as to the West, now in the Peruvian valley. She did not participate in the study.
The Tiwanaku population is suspected to have lived in present -day Chile and Cochabamba, Sharratt added.
Tiwanaku built a Palaspata to further influence its social and political influence on other societies in control of the regions, a new study shows.
“The layout of this site is strategically between the geographic zones of the two main Andes highlands,” Capriles said.
“It may have been a beautiful strategic control post, which not only controlled the flow of goods in economic and politically, but also did so through religion, and it is therefore a temple,” he said. “The coordination of religious, political and economic institutions, exactly how much these institutions emerge, is something that people were surprised.”
The temple, Palispata, is approximately 125 meters long and 145 meters wide (410 x 475 feet) and has 15 modular hoods surrounding the central plaza. – José Capriles/Penn State
Reveals a lost temple
The Palispata temple is only visible on the wall of its perimeter, which is arranged in the red sandstone.
While working on an unrelated archaeological project near the highway, the researchers noted the structure and decided that it “seemed significant,” Capriles said.
They investigated the area further on foot and with drones. From the initial conclusions, Capriles was able to use a 3D conveying to create a digital temple reconstruction.
The structure is 125 meters long and 145 meters wide (410 x 475 feet) – approximately the size of the city block – with 15 modular hoods, which were most likely rooms surrounding the patio.
The main entrance of the building is directed to the west, coordinated with the solar equinox and shows the religious role of the temple in society. Although it is not much known about Tiwanaku’s spiritual practice, archaeologists have previously found stone monoliths and ceramics with plant and animal symbolism, which can refer to traditions known as part of the D-inca society. Researchers of previous expeditions related to Tiwanak are mostly unreated religious structures to emphasize the natural features of the landscape and to combine the main events of the solar cycle.
Archaeologists also found Tiwanaku ceramics on the spot, such as Keru Cups, usually used to drink some corn -based alcohol. This shows that the building was probably used for parties or large gatherings, Sharrat said.
Compared to other ancient societies, Tiwanak remains mysterious, and researchers have a limited, multifaceted understanding of civilization, Sharrat says.
Archaeological theories indicate that Tiwanaku collapsed due to drought or environmental degradation. Other experts believe that both of these factors may have caused social tension and unrest, eventually causing a populist uprising.
Why do researchers do not know much about this crypt society? Tiwanaku “did not match some of the ideas of early archaeologists about what the state should look like or where you can have a prosperous city,” Sharratt said. “It didn’t necessarily meet all our expectations, so I think it’s partially.”
Sign up at CNN’s Wonder Theory Science Ballout. Browse the universe with news about charming discoveries, scientific achievements and more.
To get more CNN news and newsletters, create an account on cnn.com