KALASASAYA

Religious heart and former residence of the sovereign emperors, here is the most impressive monument of the Tiwanaku complex. It is an open temple constituted by a low platform of 120 by 130 meters, surrounded by stone walls with gargoyles to drain the rainwater. It hosts three important structures: the Fraile Monolith, the Ponce Monolith and the Sun Gate. This is an opportunity for you to have a rather fun experience. Walk parallel to the inner wall of Kalasasaya. Before you get to the Sun Gate, stop at the holes at 1 m height. Ask your friend to go 20 m beyond, to the Fraile monolith, to the other opening, and, at the signal, ask him to speak softly. Oh miracle! You hear perfectly all that he says. This stone amplifier is probably a gadget that the Tiwanakotas invented for ceremonial purposes. It shows the relatively advanced state of this civilization in the technical field.

Monolith Fraile. This 3 meter high stele sculpted in sandstone represents a character carrying k'erus (ceremonial vessels). You will notice that his right hand has the fingers upside down. On his hips, one can see a band decorated with crabs (many consider him as the god of water).

Monolith Ponce. Located in the center of the temple and unearthed by the archaeologist of the same name, this monolith which resembles an Easter Island moai is supposed to represent a priest in his ceremonial garb. Admire the fineness of the iconographic engravings, the headband on his head which was possibly used to cause a cranial deformation, a tablet in his right hand and a k'eru in his left hand.

Sun Gate. At the northwestern end is the symbol par excellence of Tiwanaku: La Puerta del Sol. Above it, Viracocha, the supreme god of the Tiwanaku and Inca civilizations, accompanied by men with the heads of pumas, fish and condors. The door was carved in a block of andesite of 10 tons, measuring 3 meters in height and 4 meters in width. The conquistador Pedro de Cieza de Léon, in his testimony about the discovery of the site in the ^sixteenth century, lamented: "The work is of remarkable grandeur and magnificence, when one reflects on it. For my part, I do not understand with what instruments it could have been made." To this day, no one knows how the Tiwanakota craftsmen were able to accomplish such precision work without the benefit of modern techniques and tools.