Leonora Enking / FlickrFaces carved by the Tiwanaku at Tiwanaku City, an example of the art the great civilization left behind. Their remains, stowed on what many researchers believe was one of the Tiwanakus most sacred sites, show evidence that all members of society from infants to the elderly took psychoactive drugs culled from hallucinogenic plants. The conventional explanation for how the stones were worked says that they were first pounded with stone hammers to create depressions, then ground and polished smooth with sand and flat stones. ( Matyas Rehak /Adobe Stock). However, the most emblematic horse in . Puma punku was a terraced earthen mound originally faced with megalithic blocks, each weighing several tens of tons. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. The Pre-Adamites: Did Humans Inhabit Earth Before Adam and Eve? Pumapunku, The Ancient Site Where The Inca Believed The World Began In addition, some of the stones were held together with copper fasteners, some of which were cold hammered into shape, and others that were poured into place molten.. We use cookies and similar technologies to run this website and help us make recommendations for you. Puma Punku: One Of The Most Intriguing Ancient Site - Anomalien.com Cusco, Machu Picchu, Tiwanaku And Puma Punku: The Ultimate Tour Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. In the past, the Tiwanaku culture had made the area an agricultural and trading center which may have supported up to 400,000 people during its heyday. PDF The Enigma Of Tiwanaku And Puma Punku - Hidden Inca Tours There were almost no markets; goods were distributed by the elites, those who owned the means of production. Ponce Sangins, C. and G. M. Terrazas, 1970, Protzen, J.-P., and S.E.. Nair, 2000, "On Reconstructing Tiwanaku Architecture:". Enduring Mystery Surrounds the Ancient Site of Puma Punku Faces carved by the Tiwanaku at Tiwanaku City, an example of the art the great civilization left behind. The concept of cataclysm is very common in almost all mythologies and religions. See our, Here we are, a century-and-a-half later, and irrepressible rumors continue to grow that Puma Punkus massively heavy stone block structures were cut so precisely that, the ruins were reminiscent of a giant Lego set, and he said, We attempted to capitalize on archaeologists learned ability to visualize and mentally rotate irregular objects in space by providing them with 3-D printed objects that they could physically manipulate., that Puma Punku was an advanced Andean architectural achievement. It is believed to date to AD 536. Visitors still marvel at the geometric wonders of the matching H-shaped blocks with approximately 80 faces placed in a row, and the precise cuts and the regularity of the stones suggesting prefabrication and mass production were employed. Located 45 miles west of the modern-day city of La Paz, Puma Punku is situated in the still-thriving city of Tiwanaku, high upon a desert plateau of the Andes Mountains, at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet. By car: The main road route into Andalusia is on the A-4/E-05 through the Despeaperros Nature Reserve (Jan province), although there is also good access on the A-92N in Vlez-Rubio and the A-7/E-15 in Hurcal-Overa (Almera province), the N-433 in Rosal de la Frontera and the N-630 in Santa Olalla del Cala (Huelva province), the N-432 in Fuente-Obejuna and the N-420 in Cardea (Cordoba . We just had to set aside centuries of archeological dogma ("humans became civilized 7000 years ago") and start looking! Civilizations like the Assyrians, ancient Egyptians, the Maya, the Indus Valley peoples, and many others the world over were, if true, the second wave of civilizations, not the first. [] The only question here is why stonesmasons from Lake Titicaca should have remembered anything Tiahaunacoid when for several centuries nothing like it had been built. Available at: http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/boliviapumapunka.htm, Darin, P. (2014) Enduring Mystery Surrounds the Ancient Site of Puma Punku. Epoch Times. Out of Place Artifacts; Who Really Discovered America? Other stone art depicts what archeologists think is the veneration of ancestors. So where does this leave us? The other three structures are the Akapana Pyramid, the Kalasasaya Platform, and the Subterranean Temple. Built over 800 years ago from massive basalt rocks, this lost city is nestled in the dense jungle and mangroves. ( A. Vranich, 2018 ). [17] To sustain the weight of these massive structures, Tiwanaku architects were meticulous in creating foundations, often fitting stones directly to bedrock or digging precise trenches and carefully filling them with layered sedimentary stones to support large stone blocks. They are whats left of a stunning architectural feat accomplished by a society that predates even the Inca: the Tiwanaku. According to some research, the human species has been around for up to 200,000 years, and has been pretty smart from the start. The blocks were fit together like a puzzle, forming load-bearing joints. [5] Based on detailed petrographic and chemical analyses of samples from individual stones and known quarry sites, archaeologists concluded these and other red sandstone blocks were transported up a steep incline from a quarry near Lake Titicaca roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away. Antonio Fernandez Ruz has a 2016 closeup photo, Francisco Montero Diaz has a photo, another closeup of the light tower is available, and Google has a satellite view.The lighthouse was built on an island but the island has disappeared within an extensive area of fill . Their creator god is believed to be depicted in the famous Sun Gate , which many scholars think was once located at Puma Punku and only later moved to Kalassaya. + Save your analysis in the openings section and create your repertoire. Virtual reconstruction of an entire andesite building at Puma Punku. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=e2qE0lOIBtE. Today, Puma Punku is little more than an assortment of interesting weather-worn stone ruins at first glance, but scholars believe it was once a wonderous site for the Tiwanaku culture. Puma Punku is one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Lighthouses of Spain: Western Andalusia - ibiblio Robinson, Eugene (1990). Some authors believe that the Chachapumas demanded a "sacrifice" of humans when entering the monumental structures. It grew and expanded as its people did, reflecting the increasing power of the civilization that built and rebuilt it over hundreds of years. Comparable cuts in Inca masonry all have rounded interior angles typical of the pounding technique []. Pumapunku, a name that means "door of the puma," was a holy site started between 500 and 600 CE. No matter how fine the hammerstone's point, it could never produce the crisp right interior angles seen on Tiahuanaco stonework. When Did the Americas Actually Become Inhabited? By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. The architecture found in the ruins astounds archaeologists and historians and has inspired advanced ancient civilization and ancient alien theories. For example it has been shown that the much-admired carved block known as the "Escritorio del Inca" is an accurate and reduced-scale model of full-scale architecture. The second largest stone block found within the complex is 7.90 metres (25.9 feet) long, 2.50 metres (8feet 2inches) wide, and averages 1.86 metres (6feet 1inch) thick. In. (Adwo /Adobe Stock). [12] One common engineering technique involves cutting the top of the lower stone at a certain angle, and placing another stone on top of it which was cut at the same angle. Ernenweini, E. G., and M. L. Konns, 2007, Williams, P. R., N. C. Couture and D. Blom, 2007. Until recently, conventional wisdom suggested that the desertion was prompted by a severe, prolonged drought that ravaged the crops and made sustaining a large urban population impossible. A reed boat on Lake Titcaca. Beneath the kilometer of arid earth that separates Pumapunku from the nearby Kalasasaya monument, archeologists and surveyors have discovered hundreds of buried homes and the evidence of vast irrigation systems that would have turned the surrounding desert green. Spanish Conquistadors and others who visited the site during the 16th and 17th centuries described it as a wondrous, though unfinished, building with gateways and windows carved from single blocks., Pumapunku displayed a level of craftsmanship that was largely unparalleled in the pre-Columbian New World, and its often considered the architectural peak of Andean lithic technology prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Any guesses? This is part of the reason why many people have suggested that the ancient inhabitants of Puma Punku had received outside help to create the site. 1,200-Year-Old Viking Ship Burial Found in Supposedly Empty Mound, Unleashing the Fury of the Khopesh: A Look at Egypts Deadliest Weapon (Video), Medieval Hygiene Might Have Been Better Than You Think, The Macuahuitl: An Aztec Warriors Lethal and Sacred Weapon (Video), What Did Ancient Egypt Really Look Like? Klotz / Wikimedia CommonsA close-up of the carvings on the famous Tiwanaku Gate of the Sun. The name means door of the puma, and as far as archaeologists know, Puma Punku was a thriving, ancient town originating somewhere around 500 and 600 C.E. The roofs of the entrance to Pumapunku were most likely out of Totora-reed stones. [41] According to Alan Kolata the terraced platform mound depicted on the gateway of the sun is actually a stylized depiction of Pumapunku. Inactive since the 1980s. Researchers at UC Berkeley, USA, created accurate, 3D-printed miniature models of architectural fragments to reconstruct the Puma Punku building in the Tiwanaku site. Llama skin ropes, ramps, and inclined planes, may have all been used in overland transport. These farms train and prepare them for different types of dressage. The famed white villages of Andalusia Spain, also known as the "pueblos blancos of Andaluca", are the main reason we finally made our way to this part of the country. At Pumapunku several miniature gates which are perfect replicas of once standing full-size gateways were found. Plus you can download videos to your device to watch offline later. Another group of archaeologists used the carbon dating method to date the construction of Puma Punku to between 400-600 AD. The Non-Mystery of Puma Punku - Skeptoid Puma Punku: This Ancient Andean Site Keeps Everyone Guessing What is Gobekli Tepe? Vranich said the ruins were reminiscent of a giant Lego set, and he said, We attempted to capitalize on archaeologists learned ability to visualize and mentally rotate irregular objects in space by providing them with 3-D printed objects that they could physically manipulate., Gizmodo notes that Puma Punku was an advanced Andean architectural achievement. Though its clear the writing is in the roman alphabet, its meaning remains indecipherable. The dead were often mummified, and occasionally bones show evidence of heavy cuts and scratch marks suggesting defleshing with sharp tools may have been a regular part of Tiwanaku burial practices. [] The sharp and precise 90 interior angles observed on various decorative motifs most likely were not made with hammerstones. How did the Ancients Move 100-Ton Megaliths at Puma Punku? The mummies of Puma Punku, preserved on one of the Tiwanakus most sacred sites. New Discoveries at Tiwanaku & Puma Punku: The Lost Statue of Viracocha Historic photograph of the architecture on the east side of the Pumapunku platform taken by Max Uhle in 1893 Full size image There are two basic elements of this structure: sandstone slabs that served as the foundation, and andesite blocks that were superstructure. Our unique blend of yoga, meditation, personal transformation, and alternative healing content is designed for those seeking to not just enhance their physical, spiritual, and intellectual capabilities, but to fuse them in the knowledge that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The purpose of the enormous structures has yet to be explained. 12 Spectacular Pueblos Blancos: A 2023 Andalusian Road Trip Identical "nested square" symbols can be found on stone stelas in the museum at Pukara. As for Puma Punku, a radiocarbon date was obtained from the lowermost and oldest layer of mound fill. Plague, one of the deadliest diseases in human history, has a haunting legacy of mass sickness and destruction. Puma Punku is located at an altitude of 12,800 feetthis makes it even harder to explain how the ancient quarried, transported and put into position the massive rocks as Puma Punku is located ABOVE the natural tree line, which in turn means NO trees grew in that area which means that no trees were cut down in order to use wooden rollers. Pumapunku - Wikipedia These excavation trenches also demonstrated the lack of any pre-Andean Middle Horizon cultural deposits within the area of the Tiwanaku Site adjacent to the Pumapunku complex. And now the village is now looking to the international community for help cracking the code. Is it a stretch to suggest that a form of cement could have been formed and finished in the making of these stones? [12] The precise cuts suggest the possibility of pre-fabrication and mass production, technologies far in advance of the Tiwanakus Inca successors hundreds of years later. I-cramps of unknown composition were used to hold together the massive slabs forming Pumapunku's four large platforms. Isla Verde 1864. The destruction paints a picture of an angry populace but what might have thrown a stable population into chaos remains a mystery. The eastern edge of the Pumapunku is occupied by the Plataforma Ltica. The ruins of Puma Punku are one of four structures in the ancient city of Tiahuanaco.