Tiwanaku is an archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage site in the La Paz Department of Bolivia.
Tiwanaku is the main excavation site of the pre-Incan civilization of the ancient Aymara. The Aymara had a vast empire that stretched from the Atacama Desert to Cochabamba and today's northern Argentina. This monumental city in the Bolivian highlands, 4,000 m (13,000 feet) above sea level and one of the around 1000 recognized World Heritage Sites, is considered to be the most important archaeological site in Bolivia. Tiwanaku is surrounded by mountain ranges, with Lake Titicaca on its west side (though not visible). The massive, solid blocks of a stone not indigenous to the flat plateau give rise to the site's nickname – "the Stonehenge of the Americas" – and, over the years, they have given rise to some otherworldly theories of how the site came to be. Even though the Inca invaders and later the Spanish colonizers used the huge rocks of the former city to paving their streets and construct buildings, large parts are still there and partly reconstructed. However, most of the archaeological site is still hidden beneath the surface, and research is in progress. At the museums, containing most of the things found at the site, taking photos is not allowed, but sometimes people take them anyway. The museums contain lots of pottery and handicrafts, and also a skeleton that is about 13,000 years old.
Be aware that while this pre-Inca site should principally be interesting, you might be in for a disappointment. Considering the relatively high price for foreigners and the fact that it's marketed as THE archaeological site in Bolivia, you would expect some proper presentation, signage, markings and museums, but in fact the site lacks far behind other similarly priced sites, and you keep wondering what they do with the money. The two tiny museums are badly maintained, and the handful of potentially very interesting ruins has such bad explanatory signs that you have literally no idea what it's all about.
Walk around, take photos, read the signs, visit the museums. Don't cross over signs or fences: you'll upset the security guards there and might be kicked off grounds. Otherwise, you have quite a lot of freedom there to walk wherever you want.
Many indigenous women will be selling pottery, scarves, clothes, crafts, and other handmade things. They do not really charge much, and some of the items are worth the price. Some weigh a couple of pounds, so when packing your luggage at the end of visiting Bolivia, put these things in your carrying bag.
There are a couple of restaurants near the museum. They are a bit expensive but the food is OK. Make sure to be careful eating fish or other seafood: They should be well cooked, especially since you're probably not a native.
You'll find people selling water and beverages around. At the restaurants, they have more variety.
The altitude at Tiwanaku is similar to that of El Alto, around 4000 m. If your body didn't have time to get used to this yet when visiting Tiwanaku, it might be wise to consult the article about Altitude sickness.
- Visit Lake Titicaca at a 30-min drive; the boat ride is about US$5.
- Visit the Pariti Island with more ruins (not fenced, Aymara tombs and a ceramic museum - this is an all-day trip and can cost US$20-30).
- The Main Plaza, numerous sculptures around the plaza, a 400-year-old colonial Church, and ask the neighbors to show their personal monoliths, mummies, ceramics, their families decades ago. The Fernandez family in the main plaza has a original monolith (monolito Zunagua) in their back yard.