Theirs was the dominant culture of Bolivias Lake Titicaca basin, and their empire extended into Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. The mummies of Pumapunku have another fascinating story to tell. 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. Pumapunku - Wikipedia #pumapunku #pumapunkudrillholes #pumapunkubolivia Lying in a remote valley in the Andes, Puma Punku has been a puzzle for experts for decades. [2][3][5], When the Spanish arrived at Tiwanaku there was still standing architecture at Pumapunku. Just after World War II, Austrian archaeologist Arthur Posnansky had a hypothesis that was far ahead of his time. [21] According to Stbel and Uhle the cramp sockets of Olympia and the Erechtheum in Athens are of the same shape that the ones of Tiwanaku. The others include Akapana, Akapana East, Kalasasaya, Putuni, and the Semi-Subterranean Temple. From Pyramids to Temples: Discovering the 15 Most Ancient Buildings on Earth (Video), 5 Pagan Traditions That Will Leave You Spellbound (Video), 10 Supernatural Powers from the Deities of World Mythology, 13th Century Magical Merlin Manuscript Shares Original Legend, Hidden in Plain Sight: The Pterodactyl of New Guinea. Overall, argues Dunning, Puma Punku may not be a fantastic feat too great for humankind. Is it a stretch to suggest that a form of cement could have been formed and finished in the making of these stones? ( saiko3p /Adobe Stock). Did The Vikings Use a Solar Stone Crystal to Navigate Cloudy Seas? The mummies of Puma Punku, preserved on one of the Tiwanakus most sacred sites, provide evidence that all members of society from infants to the elderly regularly used psychoactive, hallucinogenic plants. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower rising from a 1-story keeper's house. The Controversial Lapedo Child A Neanderthal / Human Hybrid? Facts, History, and Speculation. C14 (AD 440; calibrated, AD 536-600). Tiwanaku is significant in Inca traditions because it is believed to be the site where the world was created. 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. Where Did Humans Originate, Earth or Outer Space? Stone portraits Tiwanaku, Bolivia. 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. It is believed to date to AD 536. The Pumapunku complex consists of an unwalled western court, a central unwalled esplanade, a terraced platform mound that is faced with stone, and a walled eastern court. Puma Punku from the air (Author provided) Viracocha's Presence at Tiwanaku . The second largest stone block at Puma Punku is 7.90 meters (25.9 ft.) long, 2.50 meters (8.20 ft.) wide, and 1.86 meters (6.10 ft.) thick. Today the monumental complex on top of the platform mound lies in ruins. The debate on Puma Punkus construction date and its builders continues. Pumapunku, a name that means door of the puma, was a holy site started between 500 and 600 CE. Unfortunately, weather isnt the only factor that has harmed the site. A neighboring complex appears to have burned, and some vessels that appear to have been dedicated to food storage were smashed. In assembling the walls of Pumapunku, each stone interlocked with the surrounding stones. Isla Verde 1864. On the northeast and southeast corners of the complex, rectangular projections measuring roughly 88 feet in length each extend beyond the basic shape of the mound, giving the site somewhat of a T-shaped design. It contains the largest stone slab in the Pumapunku and Tiwanaku Site, measuring 7.8 metres (26 feet) long, 5.2 metres (17 feet) wide and averages 1.1m (3ft 7in) thick. The ruins of Puma Punku are one of four structures in the ancient city of Tiahuanaco. Later interpretations suggest the faces are former rulers of the city. The technical finesse and precision displayed in these stone blocks is astounding. And now the village is now looking to the international community for help cracking the code. In sharp contrast, the cramps used at the Akapana canal were fashioned by the cold hammering of copper-arsenic-nickel bronze ingots. On the northeast and southeast corners of the Pumapunku, it has 20-metre (66-foot) wide projections extending 27.6 metres (91 feet) north and south from the rectangular mound. Wikimedia CommonsWhat we have left today of Pumapunku. Archaeologist Reconstructs Ruins of Tiwanaku Temple in Bolivia Using 3 How did the Ancients Move 100-Ton Megaliths at Puma Punku? [2][3][4][5][8], The area within the kilometer separating the Pumapunku and Kalasasaya complexes was surveyed using ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, induced electrical conductivity, and magnetic susceptibility. The concept of cataclysm is very common in almost all mythologies and religions. [12] Modern engineers argue that base of Pumapunku was constructed using a technique called layering and depositing. Cusco, Machu Picchu, Tiwanaku And Puma Punku: The Ultimate Tour Skeptic Brian Dunning, the host of the Skeptoid podcast, described the sites row of H-shaped blocks that have approximately 80 faces on them; and all matching each other with great precision. Ponce Sangins, C. and G. M. Terrazas, 1970, Protzen, J.-P., and S.E.. Nair, 2000, "On Reconstructing Tiwanaku Architecture:". There are varying reports on the weight of the largest stones ranging from 140 tons to 800 tons, with the larger number often provided by sources leaning towards alternative explanations on how the site was built. Chachapumas usually were placed on andesite pedestals on either side of the entrance. An Inspirational Courtesans Tale, Was Anne of Cleves Too Ugly for King Henry VIII? What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? One thousand years of wind and rain have weathered the stones of Pumapunku, and much of the vast temple complex is entirely gone, carried away by looters and stone miners in ages past. In western Bolivia, a dramatic collection of stones, the remains of a vast temple complex, stand guard over an arid plane. Even today, the stonework of the temple is considered so precise that ancient alien enthusiasts claim it was made by lasers and other extraterrestrial technologies.. It was larger than two football fields laid side to side, and its red sandstone walls would have glowed in the sun. It remains to be shown whether their forays into other dimensions offered these early people a special insight into how to create their megaliths or even how to contact beings who could teach them advanced methodologies. The ancient site known as Puma Punku on the Altiplano of Bolivia and just south of Lake Titicaca is part of the Tiwanaku complex.