Thursday, February 14 – La Paz
Today I went on an excursion to Tiwanaku. It was a full-day trip to a Pre-Columbian archaeological site, one the largest in South America. The Tiwanaku Culture began as a small settlement which later evolved into a planned city between the 5th and 10th centuries. The political dominance of Tiwanaku began to decline in the 11th century, and its empire collapsed in the first half of the 12th century. The site was first recorded in written history in 1549 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de León.
The drive from La Paz took about 1 1/2 hours. The cost of the excursion was $33, which included entrance fees and lunch (no excursion lunch scam today!). Considering the entrance fees alone amount to $14, I thought this was a great deal. The day started out partly cloudy, but the skies started to darken as we completed the tour. And then at lunch it poured! Good timing!
Here are some pictures and a few comments from the day…
There are many carved stone heads set into the walls of the Semi-Subterranean Temple, possibly symbolizing an earlier practice of exposing the severed heads of defeated enemies in the temple.
Statues within the Semi-Subterranean Temple
The lone statue in Kalasasaya
Tomorrow I’m heading to Copacabana for the weekend. I’ve read that the internet service there is slow, so I may not be able to post any updates until next week. Have a great weekend!
Very cool!
This is Holly by the way!
Thanks Holly!
Very interesting, great pictures! Say hi to Barry (Manilow) if you see him this weekend.😉
Hi Kari! No Barry sighting yet! I still have a little more time though! Thanks for all your comments!