Tiwanaku and La Paz City
Urban tour, archaeological sites, local food
Andean history from 1 to 4 days
DAY 1: LA PAZ - TIWANAKU - LA PAZ
At 8:00 we begin the trip that takes us across the Altiplano (High Plateau Ranges) enjoying the landscape characterized by andean products fields and small houses made of mud bricks called “adobes”. In Tiwanaku we wil learn more about the most important archaeological complex of the Bolivia.
For a first approach to this impressive culture, we will visit the local museum for an introduction about Tiwanaku’s heritage. Later we go into our journey back to more than 3500 years ago, we will visit the archaeological site whose main attraction is the “Puerta del Sol” (Sun Gate) one of the most important archaeological pieces of the continent, a megalithic gateway carved from a single block of stone.
We will also have the chance to visit some other very important ruins of this enigmatic pre-Incan culture in terms of architecture and iconography: the Temple of Kalasasaya, which is believed to be a ritual platform built using huge blocks of red sandstone, the “Templete Semi-subterraneo” and the Akapana pyramid, structures that make Tiwanaku one of the most popular places to visit in of Bolivia.
After lunch, we return to the city of El Alto, where we will embark on the Cable Car line (Teleferico) that crosses the popular 16 de Julio zone, where you can see many "Cholets" (buildings that are characterized by their bright and radiant colored facades , typical of the Andean culture).
Changing the Cable Car line we arrive at the historic center of La Paz, where we will visit the exteriors of: Plaza Murillo, the Legislative Palace, the Government Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of La Paz; the picturesque Calle Jaén and the Basilica of San Francisco. We will end our tour at the Calle de las Brujas, where you can see crafts and also elements for Andean rituals in offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Return to the hotel.
Optional activities:
Offering ceremony to "Pachamama" or Mother Earth, an andean tradition led by a "Yatiri" (Aymara wise man).
ABOUT THE TIWANAKU ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEX
The Tiwanaku Archaeological Complex became the civic ceremonial nucleus of this metropolis, it is the most important archaeological center in Bolivia. In its period of greatest expansion it occupied an approximate area of 600 hectares.
It is currently divided into two sectors. The first grouped in the ceremonial civic center of the Pumapunku pyramid, located approximately 1km south west of the complex.
The central site occupies approximately 16 hectares, equivalent to 2% of the total surface area of Tiwanaku. The architecture of its pre-Inca temples corresponds to the classic period and greatest splendor of the Tiahuanacota culture, a period between the III and VIII centuries.
In 2000, UNESCO declared this complex as a World Cultural Heritage Site, due to its great Andean cultural wealth.
DAY 1: Visit to La Paz city, where we will learn about the influence of the Tiwanaku culture in our city.
DAY 2: Departure by private transportation from La Paz, to visit Pariti Island, which is located in the Minor Lake of Titicaca, after a boat trip we will arrive at Pariti to visit its local museum, where one of the most famous and beautiful pieces of
Tiahuanacota
sculpture is located: The Lord of the Ducks (El Señor de los Patos). We will return by boat to the town of Huatajata, where we will enjoy a delicious fresh trout for lunch. We will continue our trip to Copacabana to spend the night in the town.
DAY 3: Travel through Lake Titicaca to visit the Island of the Sun and the Island of the Moon, you will visit the Inca archaeological sites of the Islands and the influence of Tiwanaku on this empire. Overnight on Isla del Sol.
DAY 4: In the morning we will return by boat to Copacabana and then head towards the town of Tiwanaku. We will visit the archaeological site and continue towards La Paz. Night in La Paz.
Transfer from Tiwanaku to Desaguadero (40 minutes), where the Bolivian-Peruvian border is located, our guide will provide assistance to complete the immigration process and then embark on the Peruvian mobility to continue to the city of Puno (Peru), it is 3 hours trip to Puno.
From Puno you can do activities to experience the culture and natural beauty of Lake Titicaca, such as:
- Visits to the Islands of Uros, Amantani and Taquile
- Visit to the Chullpas of Sillustani
- Or simply rest in the beautiful hotels and lodges around the Lake, relaxing and contemplating the peace of mystical Titicaca
In the middle of the 19th century, the port of Guaqui became the most important port in Bolivia, and it also had a railway connection to the Bolivian highlands and different cities in Peru.
Today it has the service of a ship that takes trips around Lake Titicaca and a railway museum, with machinery from the time.
The Guaqui Festival
Every year for three days (July 23 to 25), the population of Guaqui receives thousands of visitors and believers who pay their devotion to the miracle “Tata Santiago”, named after the devotees who arrive from different parts of the country and abroad. They express their religious joy with demonstrations of joy and music.
The only dance that is offered to him is the “Morenada”, according to believers the Patron Saint does not accept other dances, because the last time a group chose to introduce a different rhythm, Guaqui was flooded by the waters of Lake Titicaca, some warn settlers. The celebrations take place in the town and are attended by community members and those arriving from cities in the interior of the country.
Taraco, Cradle of the Morenada
The town of Taraco is considered the birthplace of the “Morenada”, since according to the stories and some documents preserved by the residents, this famous dance of national folklore had its origin in this region.
“Morenada” is a dance that expresses the deepest cultural manifestations of the Andean people, synthesizing their customs, traditions, social organization, the designs of the multicolored clothing and the figures were combined with the visions of the colonizers.
Taraco Museum
It is located near the main square, it was inaugurated in September 1998, it contains archaeological remains found at the Iwawi site, located in the southern part of the Taraco peninsula. Recent research shows that lithic material was part of a port where stone blocks from quarries in Lake Titicaca were unloaded.
The museum allows the visitor to easily understand the evolution of the cultures that inhabited this region. It protects remains of the Chiiripa culture and the Tiwanaku culture.
Taraco Church
The construction of this temple is closely linked to Tiwanaku because the granite stones used for its walls were extracted from this ceremonial site.
If you look closely, the iconography in high or low relief still stands out in its stones, in addition to the traces of metal inlays.
Chiripa
The archaeological site of Chiripa is a ceremonial site located in the municipality of Taraco. From the place you have a wide view of the shores of Lake Titicaca. It contains the oldest features with which the mathematical knowledge and architecture of the Andean world were formed. It is part of the formative period of the region. When the towns were dispersed and disorganized, they began to group together into communities, demonstrating the need to incorporate technologies to master the production of ceramics and metallurgy.
This stage also represented a fundamental milestone in the interaction with other communities, since Chiripa began commercial exchange through the barter of agricultural products. This site is made up of an artificial mound 50 to 60 meters in diameter by six meters high, where an enclosure with several rectangular rooms is built, arranged around a semi-subterranean temple. In its surroundings there are some monoliths with zoomorphic representations that were part of the ceremonial architecture of the site.
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