Back More
Salem Press

Table of Contents

The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies

Tiwanaku

Date: 200–1000 ce

Locale: Modern-day western Bolivia

Related civilizations: Inca

Significance: One of the oldest sites in South America, Tiwanaku is thought to have been a religious and political center of the Tiwanaku Empire.

As with all major South American ancient sites, Tiwanaku (tee-wah-NAH-koo) was built with several religious complexes at its center. Although the site was first occupied as early as 1500 bce, the first monumental buildings were erected around 200 ce and became increasingly ornamented as time went on, signifying the prosperity of the city. Linked to Lake Titicaca, the mythological birthplace of several cultures, including the Inca, Tiwanaku early on became an important pilgrimage site. Built on a grid, many of the city’s monuments and religious structures were probably placed to align with the movement of the sun.

Tiwanaku was dominated by vast, open plazas that were used for religious and political activity. These plazas were surrounded by walls, using some of the same construction methods later perfected by the Inca. The most important structure in the city was the Akapana Temple, a large earthen temple comprised of seven tiers or steps. The religious sites were characterized by large ornamented gateways, the most impressive of these being the Gateway of the Sun.

The city probably had a population of about 70,000 inhabitants at its height, with many of them specializing in agriculture, with a fair number also devoted to craftwork and the arts. The people of Tiwanaku were highly regarded for their textile work. Much as with the later Inca, there is little evidence of markets, and the economy likely functioned through a system of redistribution from the upper classes.

Little evidence remains of the political structure in Tiwanaku, but as was the case in other complex pre-Columbian cultures, the Tiwanaku Empire was hierarchical in nature with an absolute ruler at its head. The Empire collapsed in 1000 ce as a result of a unified campaign launched by Tiwanaku’s neighbors. The city was abandoned some hundred years later, likely due to crop failure. However, the site and the culture that remained became important inspirations for later Inca populations.

See also: Inca

—KP Dawes

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
"Tiwanaku." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, edited by Shally-Jensen Michael, Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1237.
APA 7th
Tiwanaku. The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, In S. Michael (Ed.), Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1237.
CMOS 17th
"Tiwanaku." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, Edited by Shally-Jensen Michael. Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1237.