El Fuerte de Samaipata
Encyclopedia
El Fuerte de Samaipata also known simply as 'El Fuerte', is an archaeological site and UNESCO
World Heritage Site
located in the Santa Cruz Department
, Florida Province
, Bolivia
. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes
, and is a popular tourist destination for Bolivians and foreigners alike. It is served by the nearby town of Samaipata
.
It is not actually a military fortification but it is generally considered a pre-Columbian religious site, built by the Chané people, a pre-Inca culture of Arawak origin. There are also ruins of an Inca city built near the temple; the city was built during the Inca expansion to the southeast. Both Incas and Chanes
suffered several raids from Guarani warriors that invaded the region from time to time. Eventually, the Guarani warriors conquered the plains and valleys of Santa Cruz and destroyed Samaipata. The Guaranis dominated the region well into the Spanish colonial period.
The Spaniards also built a settlement near the temple and there are remains of buildings of typical Arab Andalusian
architecture. The Spaniards abandoned the settlement and moved to the nearby valley were the town of Samaipata
is currently located.
The archeological site at El Fuerte is unique and it encompasses buildings of three different cultures: Chanes, Incas and Spaniards.
: Venus
and Jupiter
. Some archaeologists contend that unusual carvings on the rocks may be from a pre-Inca civilization on this Amazonian slope who were commemorating the flyover of Halley's Comet in March 1066.
More recently, it has been pronounced to be an ancient flying object launching and landing site by the pseudoarcheologist Erich Von Daniken
, well known author of Chariots of the Gods?
.
Access to the site is easy, many operators run buses from nearby Samaipata. There is a small entrance charge.
The site is under the care of Stonewatch, which is a non profit society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
located in the Santa Cruz Department
Santa Cruz Department
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of...
, Florida Province
Florida Province
Florida is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Samaipata. The province was created by law on December 15, 1924.-Division:The province is divided into four municipalities which are further subdivided into cantons....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, and is a popular tourist destination for Bolivians and foreigners alike. It is served by the nearby town of Samaipata
Samaipata, Bolivia
The town of Samaipata is located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Samaipata is a Quechua word that means: The Height to Rest. With its delightful subtropical climate and an altitude of 1600-1800 m it tempts foreigners to settle...
.
It is not actually a military fortification but it is generally considered a pre-Columbian religious site, built by the Chané people, a pre-Inca culture of Arawak origin. There are also ruins of an Inca city built near the temple; the city was built during the Inca expansion to the southeast. Both Incas and Chanes
Chânes
Chânes is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
suffered several raids from Guarani warriors that invaded the region from time to time. Eventually, the Guarani warriors conquered the plains and valleys of Santa Cruz and destroyed Samaipata. The Guaranis dominated the region well into the Spanish colonial period.
The Spaniards also built a settlement near the temple and there are remains of buildings of typical Arab Andalusian
Andalusian people
The Andalusians are the people of the southern region in Spain approximated by what is now called Andalusia. They are generally not considered an ethnically distinct people because they lack two of the most important markers of distinctiveness: their own language and an awareness of a presumed...
architecture. The Spaniards abandoned the settlement and moved to the nearby valley were the town of Samaipata
Samaipata, Bolivia
The town of Samaipata is located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Samaipata is a Quechua word that means: The Height to Rest. With its delightful subtropical climate and an altitude of 1600-1800 m it tempts foreigners to settle...
is currently located.
The archeological site at El Fuerte is unique and it encompasses buildings of three different cultures: Chanes, Incas and Spaniards.
El Cascabel
The most important feature of El Fuerte seems to be El Cascabel. El Cascabel can be translated as 'The Rattle'. Two parallel lines point to certain points in the eastern sky at a position of azimuth 71° and an altitude of about 6.75° . One could have looked along the parallel lines, standing on the place of observation in front of the Inca-wall at the foot of El Fuerte and watched the parallel rising of two planets at sunrise on August 20, 1066 above both lines against the background of constellation LeoLeo (constellation)
Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion. Its symbol is . Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east.-Stars:...
: Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
and Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. Some archaeologists contend that unusual carvings on the rocks may be from a pre-Inca civilization on this Amazonian slope who were commemorating the flyover of Halley's Comet in March 1066.
More recently, it has been pronounced to be an ancient flying object launching and landing site by the pseudoarcheologist Erich Von Daniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
, well known author of Chariots of the Gods?
Chariots of the Gods
Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken...
.
Protection
Due to damage caused by visitors walking on the symbols cut into the rock and by erosion caused by waterfall, the inner area is cordoned off to prevent more damage. However most of it can still be viewed.Access to the site is easy, many operators run buses from nearby Samaipata. There is a small entrance charge.
The site is under the care of Stonewatch, which is a non profit society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art.