Since olden times and also in our day, the question regarding the age of
Tihuanacu is one which has fascinated scholars and laymen alike. Since these
ruins were already debris in the period of the Inca Empire, capricious
commentaries and conjectures were made about their existence and the men who
built them, and especially about their age. Thus it is that until a little while
ago, the chronological aspect of Tihuanacu constituted an almost indecipherable
Only after conceiving the idea of investigating the age of these remains of
human activity in prehistoric America, the most notable ruins which have come
down to us, and using astronomical resources to this end, has a slight ray of
light penetrated this mystery.
It is not a new thing to study the age of archaeological monuments by
astronomical means. Much before and also after the studies undertaken by the
author --- begun before 1910 --- scholars and others who laid claim to such a
title, thought of determining the age of the remains of remote periods through
the principles of astronomy. Studies of this sort have been carried out on the
monuments of Egypt, Asia, Europe and England.
Perhaps the person who carried out
this class of investigations with most skill and understanding was Sir Norman Lockyer, President of the Physical Solar Observatory of London, who, in 1909, in
his detailed work "Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments", supplied
the necessary foundation for the methodological investigation of the epochs in
which there were constructed the monuments of remote antiquity.
As for the
author of this present work, as we have already pointed out, his first
investigations in regard to the age of Tihuanacu, were carried out around the
year 1910. These were based on ordinary methods and reference was made to these
studies in the "Guía de Tihuanacu" which was published in the year 1912.
Then in the year 1914 and later,
after having amplified in Europe his astronomical and geodetic knowledge, he
brought forward new studies, which show evidence of a greater depth in regard to
the age of Tihuanacu.
(92) In these works, which we can call definitive, the
author employed the method of approach of the learned Sir Norman Lockyer, or
specifically, used exclusively as a basis for his calculations the change of the
obliquity of the ecliptic; in other words, the comparison of the ecliptic marked
on the Temple of the Sun of the Second and Third Periods and that of the present
Through the facts expounded in the preceding chapters, it has been proven beyond
all doubt that the temple Kalasasaya was a true solar observatory located on the
astronomic meridian, and at the same time a magnificent stone calendar. For
reasons also set forth in previous chapters, it has been noted that when the
observer stands at the center of the west wall of Kalasasaya of the Second
Period, the north and south pillars of the east wall are so located that the sun
would rise at the solstices on the outer corners of these pillars. Also
approximately at the center of the building, let us say at the middle of the
monumental perron, the sun appears on the morning of the equinoxes.
Now then: if, at the solstices, one observes the sunrise without the aid of
instruments, it will be noted that it does indeed still come up on the corners
of these pillars. However, if we examine this phenomenon with precision
instruments, we note a difference of approximately eighteen angular minutes, which
represents the change in the obliquity of the ecliptic between that of the
period in which Kalasasaya was built and that which it has today.
difference has served as the basis for the calculation of the age of Tihuanacu.
From what has been discussed in previous chapters, there is not the least doubt
that this building was indeed built on the astronomic meridian and its angles
were the points marked exactly by the amplitude of the sun between the solstices. These few
introductory words will explain to the reader in a summary fashion how the basis
for calculating the probable age of Tihuanacu was obtained. However, in
practice, the question is not as simple as the foregoing lines might indicate.
Our colleague during the years 1928-29, Professor
Dr. Rolf Müller,
published in the "Baesler Archiv", a study which contains a part of the
work carried out jointly during the above years on the site of Kalasasaya.
Since we have carried out studies on this subject before and after the years
mentioned above, we should treat this thorny material anew in the present
chapter. We repeat that as a basis for the hypothetical calculation of the age
of Tihuanacu, or rather, for the investigation of the approximate age of these
ruins, there have been used.
THE ASTRONOMIC ANGLES SET DOWN IN DISTANT PERIODS
BY THE LEARNED PRIEST - ASTRONOMERS OF TIHUANACU IN KALASASAYA.
As we have said, the building was located, during the period of its apogee,
exactly on the astronomical meridian, and this is an orientation which it
preserves almost exactly today. In the light of what has been set down before,
it is not possible to doubt its purpose. We repeat once again that the
calculations with regard to the age of Tihuanacu are based solely and
exclusively on the difference in the obliquity of the ecliptic of the period in
which that great temple was built and that which it has today.
based on this figure indicate a rather old age in the light of our manner of
thinking today in archaeological matters; if there were not many other
coefficients, not astronomical but of another sort, which corroborate in an
unequivocal and unquestionable manner the enormous age of Tihuanacu, and which
we shall discuss at the end of the present chapter, it would not have been worth
while to go so deeply into the astronomical studies which took more than a
quarter of a century of the writer's life.
The aforementioned difference of eighteen angular minutes noted in
Kalasasaya is the
basis for our calculations and this coefficient was applied to a curve
constituted on the basis of the formula of extrapolation recommended by
the Ephemeris Conference of Paris in the year 1911 and which is as
eps (t) = 23° 27' 8.26" - 468.44" t - 0.60" t2
+ 1.83" t3
If this curve should vary with future studies and trials in the coming
centuries of exact astronomy, then the calculation in regard to the age of Tihuanacu would also vary. However, in any event, even leaving aside the
calculation by astronomical methods, the age of Tihuanacu, a figure somewhere
beyond ten thousand years (the age of the Second and Third periods) will always
be, on the basis of geology, paleontology and anthropology, very great --- no
matter by what method or standard it is judged.
With regard to the first, or prehistoric, period of Tihuanacu, as we have
decided to call it, this is much more remote and we do not have, because of the
present state of science, any basis for establishing astronomical calculations;
rather, we can use only a geological basis for the determination of the period
in which it was built, a method which does not make it possible to express its
age in figures, but only to lay down a hypothetical affirmation of a geological
epoch and this also only within the limitations inherent to the present state of
our knowledge in this field.
In the light of the foregoing, we shall begin at once the application of
astronomical science to the discovery of the approximate age of Tihuanacu, by
means of the calculation of the age of the Temple of the Sun of Kalasasaya. In
order to know the difference in the obliquity of the ecliptic of that time, and
today, it would be necessary to know in the first place, how great is the
amplitude of the sun marked on this temple and other data which we shall
enumerate at once.
1. The total length of Kalasasaya from east to west without the balcony wall
is: 128 m. 74 cm.
2. The total width from north to south is: 118 m. 26 cm.
3. The index of length-width is: 91
4. The average of our many observations of the angle of solar amplitude
established by the priest - astronomers in the Kalasasaya of the second period
is: 49° 15'.
5. The average of our observations with those of Professors
Becker, Arnold Kohlschütter and Rolf Müller
(95) of the German
Astronomical Mission, is: 49° 22' 42".
6. The amplitude of the sun between the two solstices in 1930 in Tihuanacu,
which is located in a latitude of 16° 34' 54", is 49° 4' 2".
7. Taking into account the present false horizon of 2° 47' in the north and
of 16' in the south, as also the refraction, in this case the amplitude is 49°
8. The difference between the amplitude marked in the Sun Temple Kalasasaya
and the amplitude in 1930 is 36' 24".
9. The obliquity of the ecliptic in 1930 was 23° 27'.
10. The obliquity of the ecliptic during the construction of the Kalasasaya
Temple was 23° 8' 48".
This figure would be the base to apply it in the curve which is constructed,
according to the formula of the International Conference of Ephemerids in Paris
in 1911, which is as follows:
11. eps (t) = 23° 27' 8.26" - 468.44" t - 0.60" t2
+ 1.83" t3 (96)
The curve which is constructed on the base of the previous formula is the one
which follows in
12. Then applying this figure of 23° 8' 48" to the curve of
13. This value touches the curve where the ordinate-axis and the
abscissa-axis cross each other.
14. Which is on the point of 15,000 years B.C.
This figure would constitute the probable age of Tihuanacu in the
"Second Period" and some what less in the "Third Period."
To those who wish to know what our working companion,
Dr. Rolf Müller, has
published, we recommend his article in the "Baessler
The scope of the present book does not allow us to enter into greater
concerning the opinions of Professor Müller; but those who have a
special interest in the calculations and methods of that scholar, can
consult the work cited
in note No. 94 and will be able to form an exact opinion of our
in the main have proceeded in a parallel fashion, since for more than
we have discussed the different "working hypotheses".
And now to return to the method which the priest-astronomers of
have used, we should call attention to an extremely important fact. A
ago upon the occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales, an
was built to cross the ruins; this road passed over the point where the
aforementioned priests must have made their observations, or the center
of the west
wall of the Second Period.
Precisely here was discovered the beginnings
of a platform which in its time must have had a considerable height,
perhaps to that of the upper notches of the balcony wall of the Third
from which the priest-astronomers presumably made their
the aforementioned elevations in the east which covered the true
which were taken into account by Professor Müller in his calculations,
at the time of the Second Period, the angle of altitude from this point
higher elevation would also have changed in the observations.
must be taken into account is that when at the present time during the
solstice one observes the sun toward the south pillar of the east wall,
slopes of the hill Akapana cross his line of vision (as is seen in the
Fig. 29) which can be said to obstruct the view
But this is the case only at the present time, because the
of the artificial hill of Akapana which formerly were supported by
walls, are crumbled. It is to be noted that at that time the line of
sight passed perfectly through the reentrant angle of the first terrace
and that was especially the case when the observation point at the
center of the
wall of the Second Period was at a height, as in fact it was, as is
the above mentioned base which was discovered.
Moreover, on the basis
geological studies mentioned in one of the preceding chapters, it is
that the horizon in the east was, if not completely free, at least
lower than at
the present time. And we repeat that before they would have ventured to
construct a building of the magnitude of Kalasasaya, they had, in
where there was a free horizon, a small observatory where they carried
original observations and from where they would have been able to bring
angle of amplitude for the final Kalasasaya, (See
Since we have exhausted the subject of the astronomical angles of the Second
Period of Tihuanacu, it is necessary to consider the angles of the construction
which is within the Kalasasaya of the Third Period.
As it has been demonstrated with abundant material in the preceding
paragraphs that in the interior of Kalasasaya there exist remains of relatively
modern constructions which, with the present balcony wall, belong to the Third
and Last Period of Tihuanacu, it is absolutely necessary to consider the
astronomical angles which it contains.
We have seen before, that in the interior of the temple another small
Kalasasaya exists in the form of a little subterranean shrine (See Map. Ill)
with stair case designed walls in its interior, as best can be judged from the
scant extant remains available when these ruins were first studied at the end of
1903. Even today, after a devastation of forty years, some remains are still
found, although they are not as abundant as in that period. The most important
thing in this little shrine, which we have decided to call "sanctum
sanctorum", is, in the first place, a block of trachyte which now is split,
located in the most prominent part of the place and which until now we have
called "observation block", (Fig. 26).
This in its time, as is
indicated by the notches still to be seen on its surface, had a superstructure
on which, in our opinion, there was to be placed the block which at the present
time we call the Sun Door. This place, then, is the most elevated one in the
interior of the temple and without doubt designates the most important place of
the "sanctum sanctorum".
The accompanying figure (No. 25) shows its
position and the marks chiseled by us on its surface during our studies in the
year 1928. This we published in a communication sent to the Twenty-third
International Convention of Americanists, meeting in New York City that same
year. Observing from this block the corner stone to the north (Fig. 25) which
still exists in the old east wall, one sees that the sun rises on it during the
winter solstice (June 22).
By reconstructing on the map the walls of the small temple on the basis of what
was still extant in the year 1903, one obtained an angle of amplitude of 49°
16'. But the most interesting thing is that if one observes, at a
distance of five meters toward the west of the aforementioned observation block,
where there are still remains or a construction, the centers of the Kalasasayas
(98) of the west balcony wall, one notes that the sun sets in the center of the
pillars "A" and "K" at the solstices and on the dates noted
on the accompanying diagram.
This is an important fact and one which leads to
the conclusion that this structure which we have called the "sanctum
sanctorum" was the solar observatory of the Third Period of Tihuanacu. The
astronomical angles are, with some slight difference, almost the same as those
of the Kalasasaya of the Second Period.
This is the case because the length of the "sanctum banctorum", taking
as a basis the north corner block of the no longer extant east wall and the
block of trachyte which we have been calling "observation block", is
72.1 and the width is 64.2. By means of a simple trigonometric operation we then
get the angle 24° 38'.
On the basis of the above length and width of the "sanctum sanctorum",
the index of the latter is 89 instead of the 91 of the exterior building of the
Second Period. From this fact it can be presumed that no great space of time
intervened between one period and the other.
In the interest of future verifications which may follow those already carried
out, we give in
Fig. 31 the drawing of the observation block with the marks
which we engraved on it during our researches. Also, in
Fig. 24, there is
reproduced a drawing of the perron with the marks which we chiseled on its
We have not the least doubt that some day our measurements
(99) will be
controlled by competent geodesists or astronomers and possibly certain errors or omissions will be
rectified, which escaped us through faulty personal judgments or for other
In spite of this, we are convinced that the way has been opened for the
study of the stone calendar and the foundations laid for the calculation of the
age of Tihuanacu. We feel, also, that our observations will be of help to those
who in the future, establish themselves in the region under study, and having
the necessary time and resources, face the study in all its amplitude,
correcting errors which we may have made, and thus shedding greater light on the
purposes for which that magnificent temple and stone calendar was constructed
and on the age of these notable ruins.
Now that we have considered in this chapter the hypothetical age of Tihuanacu,
it will be necessary to consider also other aspects which, although not of an
astronomical nature, corroborate and reinforce further the presumption of the
extremely old age of the metropolis of American man. They are the following:
1. It is evident beyond a doubt that the inhabitants of Tihuanacu knew
animals now extinct, which they reproduced faithfully by stylizing them on their
ceramics and other plastic works. This fauna possibly disappeared at the end of
the last period of glaciation on the Altiplano, as is shown by the
2. Certain human crania found in the deepest strata of Tihuanacu, especially
one which is located in the Museo Tihuanacu of La Paz (marked No. 1) and
reproduced on the corresponding plate of Vol. Ill, are completely fossilized
(100) and show primitive signs, particularly those which were found in a sort of
Löss and in the reddish clay of that region.
3. One of the decisive proofs of the age of the man of Tihuanacu, is the
subterranean dwelling. In that age, especially in the first period, they did not
yet build houses; their temples were semi-subterranean buildings. This primitive
custom still persists in the Second and Third Periods, in which even those of
the ruling class who lived on the island surrounded by the moat, lived in tiny
dwellings where they remained and slept in a squatting position. Up to this time
four of these have been found in almost intact form
(101) and before our studies two more were found.
There is no doubt but that if sensible
excavations were carried out, various others would be discovered. It is not
possible to hold to the belief that the primitive American man who until then
lived in caverns and subterranean caves, would come out of them and immediately
construct his dwellings on the ground. It was necessary and it is logical to
suppose that there would be a period of transition between the two forms of
dwelling and this is seen in the completely subterranean dwelling that we have
in Tihuanacu. An identical evolution is witnessed in centers of archaic
civilization in Peru, especially in Katoc and in Chavin de Huantar.
4. Another of the factors which influenced human development in Tihuanacu is
the climate. Had this metropolis been built at an elevation above sea level like
that found today, it would have had an inclement climate and one unsuitable for
human life, as is seen in that of the present time, with its atmospheric
phenomena so injurious to the development of agriculture and cattle raising.
Under such circumstances it would never have attained the extremely dense
population that it had in past epochs. The climatical cingulum has changed from
the period of the apogee of this civilization to the present time. The northern
part rose and the southern part suffered a great fall. We consider this matter
in greater detail in another of our works.
5. The fauna and flora changed radically from the epoch of splendor to our
time. This can be proven by the remains of marine fauna found at the present
time in Lake Titicaca and in the clays of the subsoil of Tihuanacu.
6. It is unquestionable that the great Andean lake formed by the
a glaciation existed in the Second and Third Periods, and that in the previous
period this lake was very small --- much smaller that at the present time. On
its banks there exist man-made constructions which have been revealed by the
enormous and final fall of the lake.
7. The erosion of the blocks of the First Period which are exclusively of red
sandstone and of their very primitive sculptures on a calcareous volcanic tufa,
show an abrasion extending over thousands of years. This is the case although
perhaps also for thousands of years they lay covered by alluvial mud which later, little by little, was washed
away by the torrential rains which have for the most part revealed them. Even
the blocks of extremely hard andesitic lava of the Second Period, especially
those of the east facade of Kalasasaya (Fig. 13), show a considerable wearing
away from erosion, particularly the two monolithic blocks at the sides of the
perron (Fig. 23), even though they were covered with earth until the year 1903.
The blocks of red sandstone of the external north and south walls of Kalasasaya,
which when they were constructed, had a regular form, were rather well carved
and covered with ideosymbolic inscriptions on the inside, which is shown by a
fragment saved by chance, (Figs. 21 and 21a). Now these have the appearance of
rough blocks recently extracted from the quarries, some even having decayed or
disappeared or there being only scant remains of them.
All these facts make evident the enormous lapse of time which separates us from
the period in which they were erected and carved. It seems, moreover, that a
certain number of them were reconstructed and renovated during the Third Period,
a period in which use was made of the works of former times.
Erosion is quite evident in the ruins of
Puma-Punku, so-called today, but which
in our opinion constituted in that epoch the Temple of the Moon. There one can
study clearly "by periods" the wearing away due to erosion.
sees, for example, the monumental south platform of the First Period
shows such erosion that it gives the appearance of a rough stone just
from the quarry, since the details of the staircase embossments are
completely erased; the other platform to the north shows an abrasion
not yet so
complete. Between these platforms one finds two more which, in our
from the Second and Third Periods. One of these is apparently
finished and the other to the south, formerly set on a notch in the
shows the relief work scarcely begun, (See the corresponding chapter
with Puma-Punku) or, the "seats" have scarcely been sketched in.
can also see clearly the effects of the successive erosions and,
repairs carried out during the Third Period by means of metallic
retaining bolts or a kind of clamp. There are many probabilities for
believing that Puma-Punku was almost completely covered by a dumping of
which was swept away in part by very old searchings dating from much
Conquest. Later, when the inhabitants of the Peninsula came to the Altiplano,
new excavations in search of hidden treasure were carried out on a large
Still later, in the period in which these ruins served as a quarry for
the construction of the church in the modern village of Tihuanacu, the rest of
the alluvia which still covered the ruins was removed. The treasure hunters even
searched beneath the immense blocks, such was the burning desire to find wealth.
The bronze of the great bolts with which the masses of rock were joined was used
in the casting of bells for the same church.
Owing then to this protective layer which covered the ruins of
suffered relatively little wearing away, as we note in some blocks. A gigantic
image of red sandstone completely covered with inscriptions was found in the
little temple of the First Period; this was a primitive rustic idol like those
found near it, and had been retouched, one would say, during the Second, or more
probably, during the Third Period. The degree of erosion in Tihuanacu is in
proportion to the time that the ruins were exposed to the inclemency of the
Thus, for example, the idols on the line to the south side have again
taken on the appearance of rough stone; only the largest, which except for the
face was covered with a layer of alluvium still preserves its magnificent
embossments and carvings. The Sun Door which was found lying on its face on the
ground, has been preserved in wonderful condition with all its inscriptions; but
its back, and especially the end exposed to the adverse atmospheric conditions,
shows an enormous wearing away. It should be pointed out that the block from
which this notable monument was carved, is composed of andesitic hornblende,
vitreous and very hard lava, which, polished as it was in that period, required
several thousands of years to,wear away in the form in which we see it today.
(See the reconstructed figure,
Many pages could be written to enumerate
the destructive effects of erosion on the blocks of Tihuanacu which,
notwithstanding the quality of the material of which they were composed, and the
period during which they were protected from the exterior elements, suffered the
effects of time in an intense fashion.
8. The glacial Andean lake, or as d'Orbigny calls it, the "inner
sea", certainly reached in the Second Period and unquestionably in the
Third, as far as the edges of the monuments of Tihuanacu. This assertion is
proven by the many hydraulic works, such as wharves, canals, and especially the
spillway by which the step-formed canal was drained.
This spillway constituted
the outlet for the artificial lake located on the surface of the pukara Akapana;
it drained into the moat which, communicating with the lake, formed an island in
the most sacred part of the temple. At the present time this spillway is found
under the plain, crossing the south retaining wall of Akapana. In the course of
the excavations carried out by the Crequi de Montfort Mission, the spillway was
visible for a few days; then fortunately slides of earth and the rains covered
it again with a protective layer which saved it for the benefit of future
studies. (See Vol. I. PI. XIII, Fig. b.)
Other structures (Figs. 32 and 32a) which presumably belong also to the First or
Prehistoric Period of Tihuanacu because of their special and primitive
architecture, are the monuments found on a little island in the lake which is
today called Hakonts Palayani. This is the prolongation of Lake Titicaca in the
overflower. These monuments give evidence of a most remote age which cannot be
expressed in figures and although they are not found in Tihuanacu itself, but at
some 25 km. in a straight line from this metropolis, it is necessary to study
them as an integral part of the latter place when we consider the age of the
Andean ruins and the activities of primitive American man.
These monuments were
under the surface of the waters some four hundred years ago, when Spanish feet
first trod the Altiplano. Even today during periods of intense rain ---
in periods of minimum sun spots --- they are covered with water and can not be
distinguished from the lake which, we must not forget, is nothing more than the
remains of the great glacial lake which, during the flowering of Tihuanacu,
reached the gates of this metropolis. In that period, consequently, these ruins
(105) were some 34 m. 73 cm. underneath the waters. When we consider from the
geological point of view the withdrawal of this liquid mass, from that period until our day, when the lake is
20 km. distant from the ruins, and more or less 34.73 m. below the once busy
wharves of Tihuanacu, we have another bit of chronological data which furnishes
a conclusive illustration in regard to the age of the metropolis.
This analysis can be summarized as follows: the lake, reaching as it did in the
Third Period to the edge of the great metropolis, had a height which would
correspond at the present time to some 3,839 m. above sea level, as is shown
unquestionably by the still existing hydraulic works of Tihuanacu. This estimate
takes into account the periodic fluctuations which occur in this great lagoon.
The Altiplano at the time of Tihuanacu's height did not show the
inclination toward the south
(107) which it now has, and the lake then extended
over all the land which now constitutes that region; that is, over all the
enormous basin enclosed by the Andes.
Supposing that the high plain had had, in
the period of the splendor of Tihuanacu, the inclination to the south that it
has now, a barrier several hundred meters high would have been necessary to
prevent the lake from draining toward the south, or toward what now constitutes
the Argentine Republic.
This being the case, the part which is today the section
of Oruro would have been under a layer of water of some 155 m. However, since
the strand lines which show what at one time constituted the edge of the great
Lake Titicaca, are 44 m. above the level of the plain of Oruro (Fig. 33) and
only 52 m. above the present Lake Poopó, it is unquestionable that the Altiplano
inclined, either in a violent manner or through successive modifications,
undergoing a considerable fall toward the south and southwest and also probably
toward the southeast. In the course of this process its waters flowed in these
directions and this is a phenomenon which would have endured in the memory of
all the generations, had it taken place during a relatively recent period; in
such a case the signs of the draining would still be visible and would not have
disappeared as they have.
9. A southern inclination of the continent of such a sort could occur only as
the result of geotectonic factors, caused in turn by the cessation of the effects of a great pressure
(ice) on that part made up today of the Altiplano.
10. By analogy it is possible to determine that the last glacial period took
place in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time as in the Northern, since
there is no atmospheric nor cosmic factor that we have been able to discover,
that could have prevented it.
11. The true cause of the last glacial epoch, as well as that of the previous
ones, is still doubtful, but the conclusions from a majority of studies indicate
that it occurred simultaneously in both hemispheres, EXCEPT IN THE LOW LEVEL
EQUATORIAL REGIONS. (107) The chronology of the glacial period in the north of
Europe has been studied and determined exactly, thanks to the brilliant
investigations of Professor Gerard de Geer, and especially because of his
investigations of the stratifications of glacial clays (Varven) undertaken in
Sweden. The latter gave the figure of 6,900 years B. C. for the end of the
glacial period and 12,600 years B. C. for the end of the Danish glacial period.
Since the most southern glacial period of Sweden, or, alongside of Central
Europe, took place some 13,000 to 15,000 years ago, by analogy one can judge
that, in the same latitudes, and at the same levels above the sea, in both North
and South America, the same thing occurred.
However, in certain parts of the South American continent this climatic
phenomenon took place in a different way; this was particularly true in those
regions which in a recent geological period already had a considerable elevation
above sea level, as is the case in that great expanse of territories, tablelands
and lakes enclosed between the two Andean mountain ranges—the Cordillera
Marítima and the Cordillera Real, and which had already risen to a
considerable height since the Tertiary period and were, moreover, relatively
near the equator.
The Bolivian Altiplano, for example, the prehistoric seat of the greatest culture of the Americas, which, as we shall prove
farther on, did not have the great height above sea level that it has today, did
not because of its proximity to the equator, undergo a glacial period as long as
that in the territories of present-day Argentina. For this reason, it harbored
human cultures much before other sections or in a period when the Argentinian
territories were still covered by the continental ice which at the present
geological moment and for some thousands of years more, has withdrawn to the
It has been proven, by the studies and conclusions of celebrated authorities in
modern geology and geography, especially by the monumental works of Professor
Albrecht Penck, former Director and Founder of the Oceanographic Institute of
Berlin, that the continental ices of Europe exerted an enormous pressure on
those lands, over which they lay. As a result these lands descended and
after the glacial masses had melted or retired from those zones, freed of their
weight the territories rose again.
This same phenomenon of the rising of territories --- after being freed of a
covering or glacial weight --- doubtless took place on the Altiplano of
Bolivia in a much more intense form than in other parts of the world, due to
the fact that it was located at a considerable height and relatively near the
Because of this greater height above sea level its climate, after the
Tertiary period, was never torrid; and because of this same elevation ---
naturally not as pronounced as that of the present time --- and owing to the
proximity to the equator, that glacial period lasted there much less time as
compared with other lands of the South; thus there could develop there, in a
relatively remote period (First Period of Tihuanacu) great human
cultures, which probably did not yet exist in such a grade of development on
other parts of our planet.
When the great Andean lake was formed at the end of the last glacial period, the
following phenomenon occured: the ices melted first in those zones relatively
near the equator and the enormous pressure or weight which rested on the
mountain ranges and high table lands of the Andean regions disappeared very
Then those territories began to rise slowly also, while the zones to
the south, like those of Argentina, because of their distance from the equator,
still supported for a long time an
enormous covering of ice which held these regions, in various places, still
submerged under the ocean, regions designated today as pampa formation. In other
zones located farther to the north, a little above sea level, the regions
remained in a static condition.
Little by little, or rather, century by century, the northern part of the
present Altiplano and mountain ranges rose as a result of the cessation of the
aforementioned weight of the ice, and it was then that there was produced an
initial inclination which drained the first great glacial lake. Afterwards there
occurred that other inclination --- so enigmatic a short time ago --- of the last
post-glacial lake or Lake Tihuanacu the shore line of which a we have
pointed out, we followed on one of our last expeditions for 400 kilometers.
There have always existed in the inter-Andean regions extensive salt lakes.
These were naturally of lower level and existed much before the last glaciation.
They no doubt had their origin in the Tertiary period when the continent emerged
for the first time, suspending waters of the ocean and forming the mountain
ranges. From that distant period there also comes the ichthyic marine fauna of
these waters, the descendants of which still live, completely degenerated, in
Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó.
In the light of this discussion it is very difficult to think that the culture
of man on the Altiplano and the construction
of his magnificent metropolis belongs to a relatively recent epoch.
12. One of the proofs with which
we can also reinforce our assertion concerning the enormous age of Tihuanacu, is
that in the folklore of the Altiplano nothing is related of traditions
which allude even remotely to the origin and object of that magnificent
metropolis. It is unquestionable that a huge culture like that of Tihuanacu would
have left an imperishable recollection in the minds of the men who inhabited this part of the Andes, if it had been
evolved in a relatively
But it did not happen thus; no memory has remained of that epoch;
already at the time of the
Conquest, the Indians, when asked regarding the age of Tihuanacu, replied that
always been there or that they had appeared on the dawn of a very remote day or
that they were constructed by a race of giants, called "Huaris",
before Chamak-pacha. This matter of Chamak-pacha in Aymara or Purin-pacha in
Keshua is extremely interesting.
Both words mean "period of darkness."
This tradition extends not only to South America but also to the most northerly
part of North America. According to it reference is obviously made to a glacial
epoch in which the sun lacked thermic power or was not so visible and as a
result did not benefit human beings with its life-giving rays. It would involve
a long discussion to enter into details about this aspect and we wish only to
touch on it lightly because of its great interest.
13. Another proof which we can bring to bear, and with greater reason, to
prove the very great age of the culture of Tihuanacu, is that connected with the
great diffusion attained over the whole continent by the famous "Staircase
Sign." This sign, it can be asserted, originated in Tihuanacu and
represents the fundamental cosmological idea
(110) as well as the worship of
Mother Earth (Pacha-mama).
This sacred symbol, like the cross of the Redeemer in
Christian religion, spread from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. It has now lost its
meaning owing to the present cultural state of native population. Because of it
one can say that in every place where the culture of this continent has
appeared, there can be noted a substratal Tihuanacu.
14. SUMMARY: If one wished to collect all of the ideas about the great age of
the civilization of Tihuanacu with the attendant bases and proofs, one could
fill a whole book. But we feel certain that in the preceding paragraphs we have
outlined in a clear and synthetic form, the nature of such proofs, which are: astronomical, anthropological,
paleontological, geological, petrographic and sociological.
By consulting the literature cited in the notes accompanying the text, complete
and precise information may be had about all the subjects which have been
treated very hastily in the present chapter.