Across the railway line southwest of the Tiwanaku site, you’ll see the excavation site of Puma Punku. In this temple area megaliths weighing more than 130 tons have been discovered. Like Kalasasaya and Akapana, there is evidence that Puma Punku was begun with one type of material and finished with another; part was constructed of enormous sandstone blocks and, during a later phase of construction, notched and jointed basalt blocks were added.

Note also, in the distance of the site’s northern boundary, the sukakollo, a highly sophisticated system of terraced irrigation.


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Nearby attractions

1. Museo Lítico Monumental

0.35 MILES

The star of the show at this Tiwanaku museum is the massive 8m Monolito Bennett Pachamama, rescued in 2002 from its former smoggy home at the outdoor…

2. Museo Cerámico

0.38 MILES

Showcases a small collection of the ceramics found at the site, as well as a ceremonially deformed cranium and artifacts from the Chiripa and Wankarani…

3. Megaphones

0.46 MILES

At the entrance to the Tiwanaku site are two stone blocks that can be used as megaphones. Entertain yourself for a minute or two with this interesting pre…

4. Putuni

0.59 MILES

West of Kalasasaya is a 55m-by-60m rectangular area known as Putuni. It is surrounded by double walls and you can see the foundations of several tombs…

5. Puerta de la Luna

0.61 MILES

There’s a small gateway carved with zoomorphic designs near the western end of Tiwanaku, informally known as the Puerta de la Luna.

6. Akapana Pyramid

0.62 MILES

Climb the hill up to Tiwanaku’s most outstanding structure, the partially excavated Akapana pyramid, which was built on an existing geological formation…

7. Puerta del Sol

0.65 MILES

At the far northwest corner of Kalasasaya is Tiwanaku’s best-known structure, the 10-ton Puerta del Sol. This megalithic gateway was carved from a single…

8. Kalasasaya

0.65 MILES

North of the Akapana Pyramid is Kalasasaya, a partially reconstructed 130m-by-120m ritual-platform compound with walls constructed of huge blocks of red…