Iskanwaya

Iskanwaya is a pre-Columbian sacred site, situated on a mountain ridge above the Llica River in Bolivia, 325 km north of La Paz [1]. The sacred site of Iskanwaya is found on the edge of the Cordillera Real [1]. The site is located near Aucapata, a small town in the Muñecas Province, on the northern side of the Andean cordilleras [1]. The city of Iskanwaya was built on two platforms on an area of 0.6 square kilometers and was notable for its running water provided by a network of irrigation canals [1]. The irrigation system brought water from the Naranjani stream through canals and was distributed to the agglutinated Iskanwaya dwelling groups [1]. More than one hundred large buildings composed of stone masonry and an average of thirteen rooms have survived [1]. The Iskanwaya ruins go back to the Mollo culture which predated the Inca civilization and whose people presumably built the constructions as early as 800 BC or in their prime cultural period from 1145 to 1425 [1].