The recent discovery of the Palaspata temple, built by the Tiwanaku civilization in western Bolivia, reveals its importance as a monumental achievement. Measuring roughly the size of a city block, the temple's layout includes 15 enclosures surrounding a central courtyard, designed to align with the solar equinox. This find sheds light on the sophisticated urban planning and societal organization of Tiwanaku, which thrived from AD 630 to 950 before its decline around 1000 CE, marking the shift of power to the Incas in the 15th century.
"This was not just a temple, it was a strategic hub, an entry point between the highlands and lowland trade routes," said Dr José Capriles, lead archaeologist.
"Their society collapsed sometime around 1000 CE and was a ruin by the time the Incas conquered the Andes in the 15th century," Dr Capriles noted.
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