Exploring in depth the Tiwanacu culture; the archaeological site, museums and surroundings.

Traveling over the highlands towards Tiwanacu it is easy to understand the importance of Lake Titicaca during pre-colonial times. Surrounded by desert like hills and snow capped mountains, the lake offered, and still offers, rich lands and - considering the altitude that it is located - a mild climate.

Around 2000BC there were three lines of inhabitants in the Bolivian high plateau: the Chiripa, the Wancarani, and the Tiwanacu. These groups, generically called Aymaras, developed the central Andes thanks to the domestication of Llamas and Alpacas, and the intensive agriculture based in Potatoes and grains. Among them the Tiwanacu developed a unique and extremely efficient system of agriculture called the Sucacollus. This allowed them to produce much more their basic needs and therefore create surplus that was used to pay "non producers" like: soldiers, priests, scientist, and an elite of intellectuals.

Around late Eleventh century the Tiwanacu Empire collapsed, by then their domain covered a huge area extended from Ecuador to the north, part of the Amazon basin to the east, the north of Chile and Argentina to the South, and the Pacific coast to the West. During more than two millennium, the Tiwanacu created a extremely developed culture which domain sciences like natural medicine, physics including hydraulic, acoustic, astronomy, and got very skillful on architecture and other crafts. They lived a very peaceful and well-organized existence; with no kings or individual leaders but a group of priests and old wise men, some people called that: “the perfect socialism”.

After the Tiwanacu Empire collapsed, the whole region was divided in small familiar groups called “señorios” They will become later the villages of this days. The Incas appear like a hundred years later at the most sacred place of the Aymaras, and the Spaniards only after the fifteenth century.

Considering that you need at least three hours to go to Tiwanacu and come back, the half-a-day visit gives you just enough time to make a quick visit to the two main museums and the archeological sites of the Akapana pyramid and the Kalasasaya temple. That is why we strongly suggest you to take a full-day to visit the museums and the archaeological sites, but also other small ruins and the surroundings of the Tiwanacu capital, visits that till add a lot of information and will put in a better context what this ancient culture meant. But, more than a longer trip, what really make our offering different than any other standard travel company, is the guide. We do only work with professional cultural guides who are expert in the subject and – what it is really important – can transmit properly their knowledge since they are fluid in several languages.

If you are particularly interested in archeology and you want to complete this inside into Tiwanacu culture, we strongly suggest you to take the SSTITSUR tour.

Itinerary:
D1. Visit of Tiwanacu ruins. Transp.to La Paz

• The most enriching interactive-tour to understand the Tiwanacu culture visiting museums, archaeological sites, as well as its capital and surroundings.
• Great sightseeing of the highlands and the southern Lake Titicaca.
• The best opportunity to meet local cultures and interact with them.