THE MAGNIFICENT AND MYSTERIOUS TIHUANACO SUN GATE

We have talked about various ancient megalithic sites of the world. Some of them are so mysterious and mind-boggling that it has left archaeologists, geologists, historians, scientists etc all baffled and intrigued. Today, however, we are going to talk about one of the most mysterious, ancient, monolithic megaliths in the world! The Andean countries like Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador etc have some of the most exquisite and magnificent ancient megaliths in the world. We are going to talk about one in this blog.

Tiahuanaco, or, ‘The Puerta Del Sol’, is located in ancient city of ‘Tiwanaku’. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. It is located at an altitude of 3,825 meters (12,549 ft). This gigantic stone megalith was once the capital of an ancient empire that stretched to the present-day borders of Peru and Chile! It was also supposed to be the home to a pre-Colombian culture which flourished somewhere in the period between 14000 B.C.-900 A.D. The most astonishing aspect of this gate is built in the form of an arch. Also known as the ‘The Sun Gate’, it measures around 9.8 ft (3.0 metres) tall and 13 ft (4.0 metres) wide and was believed to have been carved from one single piece of stone. The weight of the stone is said to be around 10 tonnes! The most amazing aspect of the ‘Sun Gate’ is the amount of iconography printed on its walls. Some of this iconography can also be seen in ancient monuments of Peru and Chile.

Now the question arises why was the ‘Sun Gate’ built? According to some expert archaeologists, this was used as a massive calendar, as per the Tiwanaku Calendar printed on the gate points in that direction only. Furthermore, they believe that this calendar shortened the time of one year to only 290 days! That’s weird, right? This they have to deduce through the inscriptions on the walls which describe the 12 cycles of the months, and each month has only 24 days. Also, the designs found below the central figure are said to represent the celestial cycles. One of the most interesting aspects of the Andean civilization is that they don’t have any written records of their existence. Whatever little evidence the Europeans got was through the Inca civilization, which was much influenced by this earlier civilization. The Incans, on the other hand, had trained memorizers who provided much of the oral history for later use by Spanish and other European historians and writers. Another brilliant aspect of this culture was the breathtaking use of iconography on the walls of the Sun Gate. Much of this iconography influenced the later Meso-American cultures like the Incas, the Mayas, and the Aztecs. You know it is said that ‘Seeing Is Believing’. This is the first thought you would have when you take a glimpse of this massive superstructure and awesome inscriptions carved and printed on it.

The beauty and magnificence of this structure lie in the carvings and other inscriptions depicted around a central figure on the wall. The inscriptions are depicted in 48 squares and each of these squares is depicted in the form of a winged effigy. Moreover, out of these 48 effigies, 32 are depicted as having human faces, whereas; 16 effigies are depicted as having anthropomorphic figures with heads of Condors. The most interesting aspect of this iconography is that all the figures are looking toward one central figure. This figure is of a person whose head is surrounded by 24 linear rays. This figure is also depicted to be holding staffs in both his hands. This visual representation is believed to be that of “Viracocha”, or, ‘The Sun-God’. According to some historians and archaeologists, the Central Figure is believed to be “Thunupa”, or “Tunupa”, a major weather god in the Aymara culture in the Titicaca Basin throughout the Middle Horizon period. The Central Figure is also known as the “Front-Facing God” or the “Staff God” and was believed to be the god of thunder, lightning and rain in the Titicaca Basin.

A most interesting aspect of this pre-Colombian culture has come out that it believed in the mythology of creation gods. That is the reason it has also been believed that the area around Lake Titicaca was the cradle of the first humans on earth! It was also an important theme in the Incan civilization and their belief in the mythology of creation gods.

Now again the important question remains unanswered about the purpose of the building of the “The Sun Gate”. As mentioned earlier, some historians believe that this was used as a calendar by the ancient civilization. Others believe that this was used as a ‘Portal’ to other worlds! If you think you have reached the maximum number of weird theories. Then according to some ancient alien theorists, this massive structure was built by ancient aliens! Can you believe that? It’s crazy, right?

When it was discovered by the early Europeans they were in complete awe and wonderstruck at this breathtaking piece of a monument. One of the early investigators of this monument was Arthur Posnansky and Edmund Kiss, who later gave birth to the term” pseudo-archaeology”.

Well, whosoever built it or for any purpose, it was built for, today millions of tourists from all across the globe visit Tiahuanaco to visit this majestic site. The carvings and inscriptions have not been all deciphered yet, which makes it more magnificent and mysterious!