Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Temple in Bolivia, Revealing Secrets of Pre-Tiwanaku Civilization

By
News Desk
Last updated: August 31, 2025
5 Min Read



Beneath the expansive plains of the Bolivian highlands, a groundbreaking archaeological discovery is reshaping the historical narrative of South America. Researchers have uncovered a ceremonial temple that predates the renowned Inca Empire by several centuries, offering new insights into the mysterious Tiwanaku civilization, which has long intrigued scholars.

This revelation, confirmed by Bolivia’s Ministry of Cultures alongside an international research team, represents much more than a mere ancient ruin. It serves as a time capsule, providing a vivid glimpse into the spiritual and architectural expertise of a culture that once thrived in the Andes. The details of this significant find were unveiled in a study published recently in Antiquity.

The discovery occurred at the Tiwanaku site, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and located approximately 47 miles west of La Paz. While notable structures like the Akapana Pyramid and the Gate of the Sun have attracted attention for years, the newly located temple was found in a previously neglected eastern sector of the complex.

Based on a report from Bolivia’s National Directorate of Archaeology, this newly unveiled temple is described not as a recent construction but as a foundational element of ancient society. Carbon dating of organic materials from the site suggests that this structure was built around 800 B.C.E., rendering it ancient even before the Tiwanaku state reached its zenith between 500 and 900 C.E. By the time the Inca Empire emerged in the 15th century, this temple was already over a millennium old.

More:
https://news.ssbcrack.com/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-temple-in-bolivia-revealing-secrets-of-pre-tiwanaku-civilization/

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Article from July:

Tiwanaku: A little-known pre-Incan civilization that built temples and cities high in the Andes

By Laura Geggel, Owen Jarus
last updated July 4, 2025

The Tiwanaku civilization thrived high in the Andes Mountains long before the Inca Empire started.



Ruins of Tiwanaku archaeological site.
The ruins of the pre-Incan civilization at Tiwanaku near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. (Image credit: diegograndi/Getty Images)

Decline and rebirth
Located near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, the millennia-old city of Tiwanaku was built almost 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level, making it one of the highest urban centers ever constructed.

Surrounded by mountains and hills, the city reached its peak between roughly A.D. 500 and 1000, growing to encompass an area of more than 2 square miles (6 square kilometers), organized in a grid plan. Only a small portion of the city has been excavated. Population estimates vary, but at its peak Tiwanaku may have had at least 10,000 people living in it.

Although its inhabitants didn't develop a writing system and its ancient name is unknown, archaeological remains indicate that the city's cultural and political influence was felt across the southern Andes, stretching into modern-day Peru, Chile and Argentina.

Today, with a modern-day town located nearby, Tiwanaku is a great ruin. "Massive, stone-faced earthen mounds rise from the plain; nearby are great rectangular platforms and sunken courts with beautiful cut-stone masonry," Denver Art Museum curator Margaret Young-Sánchez wrote in her book "Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca" (University of Nebraska Press, 2004).

Researchers aren't sure when Tiwanaku was first settled, but Young-Sánchez noted in her book that people in the Lake Titicaca area started settling permanently around 4,000 years ago.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/26792-tiwanaku.html