KALASASAYA

The religious heart and former residence of the sovereign emperors, this is the most impressive monument in the Tiwanaku complex. It is an open temple consisting of a low platform measuring 120 by 130 metres, surrounded by stone walls with gargoyles to drain off rainwater. It houses three important structures: the Fraile Monolith, the Ponce Monolith and the Sun Gate. Here's your chance to enjoy a fun-filled experience. Walk parallel to the inner wall of Kalasasaya. Before arriving at the Sun Gate, stop at the 1-metre-high openings. Ask your buddy to go 20 metres beyond, to the Fraile monolith, to the other orifice, and, at the signal, ask him to speak softly. O miracle! You'll hear everything he says perfectly. This stone amplifier is undoubtedly a gadget invented by the Tiwanakotas for ceremonial purposes. It demonstrates the relatively advanced state of technology in this civilization.

Fraile Monolith. This 3-metre stele carved in sandstone depicts a figure carrying k'erus (ceremonial vessels). Notice that his right hand is upside down. On his hips, you can see a headband decorated with crabs (many consider him to be the god of water).

Ponce Monolith. Located right in the middle of the temple and unearthed by the archaeologist of the same name, this monolith, which resembles an Easter Island moai, is said to represent a priest in his ceremonial garb. Admire the fine iconographic engravings, the blindfold on his head which may have been used to induce cranial deformation, a tablet in his right hand and a k'eru in his left.

Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun). At the north-western end is Tiwanaku's symbol par excellence: La Puerta del Sol. Above it stands Viracocha, the supreme god of the Tiwanaku and Inca civilizations, accompanied by men with puma, fish and condor heads. The door was carved from a 10-tonne block of andesite, measuring 3 metres high and 4 metres wide. Conquistador Pedro de Cieza de León, in his account of the site's discovery in the ^16th century, lamented: "The work is of remarkable grandeur and magnificence, when you think about it. For the life of me, I can't figure out with what instruments it could have been made." To this day, no one knows how Tiwanakota craftsmen managed to achieve such precision without the benefit of modern-day tools and techniques.