Tiwanaku

Tiwanaku is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia, near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America [1]. Tiwanaku began its steady growth in the early centuries of the first millennium AD [1]. At its height, the city of Tiwanaku spanned an area of roughly 4 square kilometers and had a population greater than 10,000 individuals [1]. The structures that have been excavated by researchers at Tiwanaku include the terraced platform mound Akapana, Akapana East, and Pumapunku stepped platforms, the Kalasasaya, the Kantatallita, the Kheri Kala, and Putuni enclosures, and the Semi-Subterranean Temple [1]. Tiwanaku became a center of pre-Columbian religious ceremonies for both the general public and elites [1]. Excavations of the Akapana at Tiwanaku revealed the remains of sacrificial dedications of humans and camelids [1]. Today Tiwanaku has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site [1].