Tihuanacu and the Chariots of the Gods

It was July 1989, and I spent a weekend in La Paz because of work. Someone had recommended visiting the ruins of Tihuanacu (the Portuguese spelling of the Aymara word, from the Quechuan language family). It is an archaeological site about 60 km west of La Paz and approximately 20 km from Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of about 3,850 meters. On Friday, I arranged the excursion at the hotel's front desk.

On Saturday morning, a friendly gentleman with that unmistakable Inca appearance showed up in the hotel lobby, introducing himself as "the guide" who would accompany me to the site. He explained that he was also the driver, using a taxi—a rather old Chevrolet Bel Air in reasonably good condition. He then introduced two other occasional tourists who had also booked the excursion: an American who spoke no French and a Frenchman who spoke no English, both traveling on business, like me. All of us, however, managed reasonably well in Spanish.

And off we went toward the Andean Altiplano. A little over an hour later we arrived. I must admit I was impressed at first sight. I had expected much less. To you who are reading this, I strongly recommend the visit.

Tihuanacu was a pre-Columbian settlement, probably the capital of the civilization or empire of the same name, which occupied the South American Altiplano, encompassing parts of present-day Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. It lasted from around 1500 BC until AD 1180, when it mysteriously disappeared. It reached its peak between AD 300 and AD 1000. Little is known about its people because they had no written language.

It appears that the site was abandoned after being flooded by Lake Titicaca, whose water level is believed to have risen significantly at that time. If it happened today, people would say it was caused by "climate change." Since it happened around AD 1200, everyone is free to imagine the cause.

At the center of the complex lies a plaza situated about two to two and a half meters below the surrounding ground level, forming what is known as the "Semi-Subterranean Temple." More than 170 carved stone heads are embedded in the walls surrounding this sunken courtyard, with no two alike, apparently representing different ethnic groups or figures. There are also about three monoliths in the center, which some associate with the constellation Orion. It is an intriguing place from that complex civilization.

Our guide was explaining all this when we approached a larger group led by another guide, who offered an entirely different explanation. To my great surprise, the archaeological basis of his presentation was the unforgettable book "Chariots of the Gods?" by Erich von Däniken (around 1970?). Unforgettable because, if it is not true, it is wonderfully imagined (si non è vero è ben trovato—a world-famous Italian proverb).

Von Däniken's story fit the site remarkably well and was far more interesting than the one our guide was telling. Before I realized it, I had joined the other group, together with the Frenchman and the American, much to the despair of our guide, who, deeply upset and jealous, repeatedly tried to win us back, without success.

We only rejoined him at the end of the visit for the return trip to La Paz. The three "tourists" understood the situation and pooled together a generous tip, which left him happy and at peace.

Miguel Fernández y Fernández, engineer, chronicler, and columnist, member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute # written in 2022 R2025Dec22Rb, 3,147 keystrokes

Foto aérea de Tihuanacu