Exploring Ancient Traditions: Bolivia's Richest Cultural Heritage

Bolivia's cultural history is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. The earliest known cultures in Bolivia were the Wankarani culture, and the Chiripa culture. The oldest Wankarani sites are dated from 1800 BC onwards. The Wankarani culture arose in the area of the Oruro Department near Lake Poopo. However, the Tiwanaku civilization, which dates back to 1200 BC, is considered one of the oldest cultures in Bolivia.

Tiwanaku civilisation

The Tiwanaku civilisation, also known as the Tiwanaku Polity, was a Pre-Columbian culture in western Bolivia, based in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. It is considered one of the most significant Andean civilisations, with its influence extending into present-day Peru and Chile. The Tiwanaku empire lasted from around 600 to 1000 AD, and its capital was the city of Tiwanaku, located at an altitude of roughly 3,800 to 3,850 metres (12,500 to 12,600 feet) above sea level, making it the highest state capital of the ancient world.

The Tiwanaku empire is believed to have originated as a small agricultural village around 1200 BC. However, it wasn't until around 400 AD that the Tiwanaku began their expansion, establishing contacts with other cultures in the region. By 600 AD, Tiwanaku had become an important regional power in the southern Andes, with a population of around 10,000 to 20,000 people. The city underwent a significant transformation, with new monumental architecture, temples, and standardised polychrome pottery. The population continued to grow, and occupational niches developed, leading to specialisation in skills such as pottery, jewellery, and textiles.

The Tiwanaku empire was a multicultural network that brought people together through trade and large-scale construction projects. They established colonies as far as 300 km away and influenced many other cultures in the region through the spread of their distinctive ceramics, architecture, and religious beliefs. Tiwanaku's economy was based on agriculture, herding llamas and alpacas, and fishing in Lake Titicaca. They also developed advanced farming techniques, such as "flooded-raised field" agriculture, to cope with the variable climate in the high-altitude regions.

The influence of Tiwanaku extended beyond the physical boundaries of their colonies, as they exerted a form of soft power that resulted in a powerful and widespread cultural hegemony. Their art and architecture were characterised by large stones of exceptional workmanship, with elaborate drainage systems and intricate carvings. The focal point of the sacred precinct in Tiwanaku was the Akapana Temple, an artificial hill with a flat top used for religious ceremonies. Another notable structure is the Gateway of the Sun, a monolithic gateway carved from a single block of andesite stone, featuring intricate carvings of deities, winged creatures, and geometrical designs.

The Tiwanaku empire is believed to have collapsed around 1000 AD due to a combination of factors, including climate change, internal social dynamics, and attacks from the emerging Aymara Kingdoms. Despite the collapse, the influence of Tiwanaku persisted, and their architectural and artistic legacy inspired later civilisations, including the Incas.

The Aymara kingdoms

The current Aymara population is estimated at two million, spread across Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. The Aymara people have blended their traditional religious beliefs with Catholicism, unifying the figure of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) with the Virgin Mary. Their native language, Aymara, is still spoken and is the third official language in Peru.

The Wankarani culture

Wankarani villages typically consisted of 15 to 500 houses, with remains of adobe bricks and trash creating small mounds on which new houses were built over time. The dead were buried under the floors of the huts. Wankarani houses were small, round adobe huts painted red on the outside and yellow on the inside. Some villages had up to 4,000 inhabitants, but most had fewer than 100 people. The usual location of villages at the base of hills, the absence of village walls, and minimal remains of weapons suggest that Wankarani society was peaceful.

The Wankarani economy was based on herding llamas and alpacas, and cultivating potatoes, quinoa, and qañiwa. The harsh climate and low rainfall meant that the Wankarani economy remained at subsistence levels of natural farming and small regional trade. Copper smelting was also known to the Wankarani, as remains of smelters have been found. Wankarani artisans also made small stone heads sculpted after llamas and alpacas.

Wankarani culture ended as it was incorporated into the growing and expanding Tiwanaku empire.

The Chiripa culture

The Chiripa site consists of an artificial mound of approximately 60 by 50 metres in surface area and six metres in height, on which are several rectangular rooms arranged in semicircles around a semi-subterranean temple. The rooms have double walls, with the space in between used for storage and to protect the interior from changes in climate. The entrance doors are sliding, with the door leaf fitting into a slot in the wall. The walls are made of adobe, usually painted, and the floors are compacted earth, under which some burials were made. The roofs were thatched with straw. This type of room, with double walls, is unique in the Andean region.

The central semi-subterranean temple has the features of large stone slabs and is similar to the Semi-Subterranean Temple of Tihuanaco. There are also semi-subterranean patios, in addition to those at Tihuanaco and Chiripa, in Pucara.

The Taraco Archaeological Project (TAP), directed by Dr Christine Hastorf, is investigating the Early and Middle Formative occupation at Chiripa, 1500 BCE-100 CE. TAP has subdivided this occupation into three phases: Early Chiripa (1500-1000 BCE), Middle Chiripa (1000-800 BCE), and Late Chiripa (800 BCE-100 CE), based on ceramic styles, architecture, and agriculture.

The Inca conquest

The Inca incorporated upper Bolivia into their empire in around 1450. They instituted advanced agricultural and mining practices and established a strong military and centralised political power. However, they never fully controlled the nomadic tribes of the Bolivian lowlands, and the Aymara kingdoms retained a level of autonomy.

In the 16th century, the Inca Empire was conquered by the Spanish, led by Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish began their conquest in 1532, and by 1572, the last Inca state was fully conquered. The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was remarkably easy due to the empire's internal weaknesses. After the death of the Inca Emperor Huayna Capac in 1527, his sons Huascar and Atahualpa fought over the succession, and Atahualpa had not yet consolidated his power when the Spanish arrived.

The Spanish conquest and colonial rule were traumatic experiences for the indigenous peoples of Bolivia. They were easily susceptible to European diseases, and their populations decreased rapidly. However, the resistance of the indigenous people of the Bolivian lowlands delayed the conquest and settlement of their lands.

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