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Initial results of research at Tiwanaku archaeological site in Bolivia |
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19 June 2017/ UNESCO Office in Quito
The UNESCO Office in Quito and Cluster Office to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela presented on 8 May 2017, in the city of La Paz, the initial results of the research conducted at the Tiwanaku site—the spiritual and political centre of Tiwanaku culture. The Office reported the results during a press conference, in the company of the Minister of Cultures and Tourism, Wilma Alanoca Mamani and the Deputy Minister of Interculturality, Jhonny Tola Mullisaca.
Among the activities included in the project “Conservation and Preservation of Tiwanaku and the Akapana pyramid” is the elaboration of a topographical map spanning the archaeological site and its buffer area, made by combining different teledetection technologies, specifically with satellite images taken in 1972 and 1992, as well as images obtained with several drone flights in October 2016.
The drone images have provided a highly precise topography of the whole archaeological site with a margin of error less than 4 cm. In addition, the preliminary results obtained thanks to the combination of high-definition images, both in the traditional RGB color image and the multi-spectral format, have made it possible to observe the presence of a previously unknown set of structures spread across all the explored area covering 411 hectares. The new data redefined other monuments that were already known, such as Puma Punku, Mollo Kontu or the set of elements in the protected area (specially the Kalasasaya-Putuni complex).
As part of the results, the existence of a perimetral territory was observed that would clearly identify the limits that the Tiwanaku urban area may have had. The images also provided information on possible human interventions in the configuration of the geographic space where the site is located.
In order to collect and process the data obtained, the consultant in charge of this project activity, Ignacio Gallego, counted with the collaboration of the Bolivian engineering company Corimex Ltd for data collection in the field, and with the Complutense University of Madrid for desk data analysis.
It is expected that by the end of 2017 the final results of the image interpretation will be ready and that this input will stimulate ongoing conservation actions stipulated in the site’s Management and Conservation Plan.
The project “Conservation and Preservation of Tiwanaku and the Akapana pyramid” is financed by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of World Heritage, and the UNESCO Office in Quito is in charge of its implementation since 2015.
Tiwanaku: spiritual and political centre of Tiwanaku culture, inscribed on the World Heritage List since the year 2000. It was the capital of a powerful pre-Hispanic empire that reached its peak between 500 and 900 BC. Its influence spread across a vast area of the Southern Andes and other adjacent regions. The remains of its monuments bear witness to the cultural and political importance of a civilization that was completely different from the other pre-Hispanic cultures in America.
(Unofficial translation into English provided by the Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean)
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Related Link(s): Tangible Heritage, World Heritage |
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