Civilizations Come and Gone

Bolivia, Day 3: Tiwanaku Ruins

Eliana woke up miserable from a night of puking, headaches, and dizziness. That cheese fondue really did a number on her GI tract, and our plans for the day were up in the air because of her nauseated condition. After some Aleve, breakfast, and a tincture of time, by 10 o’clock she was feeling much better and decided an adventure was in order after all! We were off to explore the ancient ruins of the Tiwanaku civilization.

We made our way to the cemetery district of La Paz to catch a ride to Tiwanaku. Transportation on most local routes in Bolivia is accomplished by small buses or mini-vans called micros. Micros stop just about anywhere for anyone, until every available crack of space has been filled with people, luggage, and livestock -- and even then the driver’s assistant will insist there’s still room for one more passenger. We packed in to the mini-van with a total of EIGHTEEN people -- 3 in the front seats, and 15 people in the back (3-4 people crammed in per row). The back seats are positioned so closely together to maximize passenger load, that you have to shift your knees sideways to compensate for the minuscule leg room. It’s quite comical, actually. Just when we thought the ride couldn’t get any more absurd, the driver decided to take a detour to avoid paying a toll. We drove for a while on a potholed bone-shaking dirt road with a bus in front of us stirring up clouds of dust, and finally we had to cross through a river (!), that the previous micro apparently didn’t make (it was sitting stuck in the water). Luckily, we made it through and arrived at our destination in about 90 minutes -- all that fun for a bus fare of only 8 Bolivianos (about $1 US)!

The ancient ruined city of Tiwanaku is one of the most monumental and intriguing archeological sites in South America. Founded some 2000 years ago, Tiwanaku became the capital of a massive empire that lasted almost a thousand years, developing into a sophisticated urban-ceremonial complex that in many ways was the cradle of Andean civilization. We explored the ruins and learned how their society declined and faded out abut a thousand years ago due to severe drought and migration out the area.

Their pyramids, statues, and structures were purposefully buried in anticipation of returning when climate conditions improved. However, they were followed by Inca civilization and then invasion by the Spaniards, and never returned. The ruins were discovered only in recent years and only an estimated 7% have been excavated to date. 

Three fun young hippie travelers from Spain joined us on the bus ride back. We swapped travel stories, and enjoyed a walk through the streets of La Paz where we gawked at local meats (sheep heads and dried llama meat were quite a disturbing sight), produce, and trinkets. It’s reassuring to know that we are not the only venturesome (and a little loco!) travelers out there.