Lost temple found in mountains reveals secrets of civilization that vanished 1,000 years ago
Archaeologists discovered the temple, known as Palaspata, atop a ridge in the remote highlands southeast of Lake Titicaca, near the small community of Ocotavi in western Bolivia.
The large structure was the craftsmanship of the Tiwanaku civilization, which left a mark on the world with impressive stone structures, advanced irrigation systems, and unique art and pottery before vanishing around 1000AD.
Covering an area roughly the size of a city block, the site measures approximately 410 feet long by 476 feet wide.
It features 15 rectangular enclosures arranged around a central courtyard, which appears to align with the solar equinox, a time when the sun rises directly over the equator and is often marked by key ritual dates in ancient cultures.
The team believes more than 20,000 people may have lived here, as some buildings were constructed with stones weighing over 100 tons, showing highly organized labor and planning.
'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 from Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study.
'This was a place where people, goods, and gods all crossed paths.'.
The newly discovered complex is located about 130 miles south of Tiwanaku's established historical site, on top of a hill known to local Indigenous farmers but was never explored in depth by researchers due to its unassuming location.
Carbon dating revealed the site was most active between AD 630 and 950, during the period when the Tiwanaku civilization expanded its influence into the eastern valleys.
'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 said.
'It boasted a highly organized societal structure, leaving behind remnants of architectural monuments like pyramids, terraced temples and monoliths, most of which are distributed in sites around Lake Titicaca.'
The ancient temple once featured tall, red sandstone and white quartzite stones that marked its perimeter.
Though much of the original structure has collapsed, its rectangular design and astronomical alignment are still visible as its pieces still litter the ground.
The central courtyard may have once held a sunken ceremonial plaza, a hallmark of Tiwanaku temples.
The temple's surface was scattered with fragments of keru cups, used for drinking chicha, a traditional maize beer, during agricultural feasts and celebrations, indicating its role as a key trade hub, according to Capriles.
Since maize was not grown locally but in the Cochabamba valleys, unlike the high-altitude temple site, this highlights the temple's significance in enabling access to diverse goods, including food, and linking different culinary traditions, he added.
'The archaeological findings at Palaspata are significant because they highlight a crucial aspect of our local heritage that had been completely overlooked,' said Justo Ventura Guarayo, mayor of the municipality of Caracollo, where the site is located.
'This discovery is vital for our community.'
Views of the Palaspata temple: A) an aerial mosaic created from recent drone images, and B) a filtered image showing color differences, overlaid with a grid to outline the temple's structure.
The Palaspata complex had remained undetected by archaeologists until recently, when they spotted unusual geometric shapes in satellite photos.
Researchers then used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, and 3D imaging techniques to confirm the presence of a man-made structure.
'Because the features are very faint, we blended various satellite images,' said Dr Capriles.
Nearby, at a smaller archaeological site called Ocotavi 1, researchers uncovered homes, tools, animal bones and human burials with skull shaping a sign of high status in Andean culture.
Nearby, at a smaller archaeological site called Ocotavi 1, researchers uncovered homes, tools, animal bones and human burials with skull shaping, a sign of high status in Andean culture.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Stone Age humans were picky about which rocks they used for making tools, study finds
Early human ancestors during the Old Stone Age were more picky about the rocks they used for making tools than previously known, according to research published Friday. Not only did these early people make tools, they had a mental picture of where suitable raw materials were located and planned ahead to use them, traveling long distances. By around 2.6 million years ago, early humans had developed a method of pounding rocks together to chip off sharp flakes that could be used as blades for butchering meat. This allowed them to feast on large animals like hippos that gathered near a freshwater spring at the Nyayanga archaeological site in Kenya. 'But hippo skin is really tough" — and not all rocks were suitable for creating blades sharp enough to pierce hippo skin, said co-author Thomas Plummer, a paleoanthropologist at Queens College of the City University of New York. Co-author Emma Finestone of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History added: 'When we think about stone tools, not every rock is equal in terms of the quality of tools.' At the Nyayanga site, researchers found durable blades made of quartzite, a rock material that they traced to streambeds and other locations around 8 miles (13 kilometers) away. The new research appears in the journal Science Advances. 'This suggests they've got a mental map of where different resources are distributed across the landscape,' said co-author Rick Potts of the Smithsonian 's Human Origins Program. Previously, researchers had assumed the stones may have been found within just a mile or so of the freshwater spring site. The new study shows that 'these early humans were thinking ahead. This is probably the earliest time we have in the archaeological record an indication of that behavior,' said Eric Delson, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the research. The oldest previously known example of early human ancestors transporting raw materials for tool-making was about 600,000 years later than the Nyayanga site. Researchers said it's unclear who these early toolmakers were — whether members of the Homo genus or a related but extinct branch of the family tree, such as Paranthropus. Homo sapiens did not arise until much later, around 300,000 years ago. But the knack for seeking out the best raw materials to make simple technology dates back nearly 3 million years. 'We today are a species that's still technology-dependent — using tools to spread around the world and adapt to different environments,' said Finestone. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Skeletons with Sub-saharan grandparents found in Dorset and Kent
A boy and girl who lived in medieval England likely had grandparents from Africa, according to new findings by DNA from the skeletons - which are over a thousand years old - was tested by scientists to reveal their boy was found in a medieval cemetery in Dorset, and the girl was found at cemetery in archaeologists said they were surprised to find early medieval skeletons with grandparents from so far away. What did the scientists find? The scientists originally tested the DNA of 23 bodies that were found in a medieval they studied their DNA most of the skeletons buried there had either northern European or western British and Irish scientists were amazed to find that one person at each cemetery had a recent ancestor from west fact, the team found that between 20 to 40 percent of the ancestry in the skeletons was from sub-Saharan Africa. They even revealed that the individuals had similar DNA to groups living in west Africa right now, such as the Yoruba, Mende, Mandenka and Esan groups. 'A diverse population' According to researchers, the findings suggest that medieval Britain may have been more diverse than once of the researchers, Dr Edwards, said the results suggested "a diverse population with far-flung connections who were, nonetheless, fully integrated into the fabric of daily life." Another of the team, Dr Sayer, said the finding was "fascinating" because the children were buried in very different places, but had such similar DNA.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Hair found in Inca device could change what's known about medieval civilisation
A hair strand uncovered from an Incan astronomical device suggests record-keeping in the empire was prevalent not only among elite individuals but also practiced by commoners. The finding, published in the journal Science Advances, changes what's known about numerical literacy among people in the medieval civilisation. Incas used knotted-string devices called khipus to maintain records, especially numerical information. These devices consisted of a main cord with numerous pendant cords attached, encoding information via the use of knots, their positions, and the colours. Sometimes human hair is found wound on a khipu as a 'signature' to indicate its creator. 'Hair in the ancient Andes was a ritually powerful substance that represented the individual from whom it came,' researchers explained. Until now, Spanish colonial-era documents have hinted that only male elites made khipus. It was thought that 'khipu literacy' was not widespread outside of bureaucrats charged with keeping records. 'On the basis of primarily Spanish-language colonial chronicles, it is thought that khipus were created exclusively by male bureaucratic elites,' researchers wrote. Much later in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the production of khipus was documented even among Andean labourers, peasant farmers, and female peasants. However, the latest analysis of human hair woven into a late 15th century khipu by its creator suggests that even then low-ranking Inkas made and used khipus. This particular khipu was found at a German auction with little documentation and later dated to 1498 AD. It's main cord was made of human hair about 104 centimetrers long, folded and twisted, representing about eight years of growth, researchers say. Scientists utilised advances in chemical analysis to make simultaneous measurements of levels of different elements, including carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur, from the hair sample. They found that the person who made the device ate a commoner's diet of tubers and greens, rather than a bureaucrat's diet of meat and maize. Further analysis, measuring oxygen and hydrogen values, determined that this low-ranking commoner likely lived in present-day southern Peru or northern Chile. 'Contrary to previous assumptions, commoners in the Inka Empire apparently created Inka-style khipus as well,' scientists wrote. The study results also corroborate other recent findings that women also made these recording systems, together challenging the idea that khipu literacy was the sole domain of male elites. 'Khipu literacy in the Inka Empire may have been more inclusive and widespread than hitherto thought,' researchers concluded.
