Iskanwaya
Encyclopedia
Iskanwaya is a pre-Columbian
sacred site, situated on a mountain ridge above the Río Llica in Bolivia
, 325 km north of La Paz
. In its extension and its age Iskanwaya surpasses Machu Picchu
in Peru, but its less well preserved.
, 250 m above the Río Llica and 1,672 meters above sea level. The site is located near Aucapata
, a small town in the Muñecas Province
.
patterns included terracing and irrigation
.
UN-archaeologist Alvaro R. Fernholz Jemio suggests that in its time the site was inhabited by 2,500 to 3.000 people
which predated the Inca civilization
and whose people presumably built the constructions as early as 800 BC or in their prime cultural period from 1145 to 1425.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
sacred site, situated on a mountain ridge above the Río Llica in 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...
, 325 km north of La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
. In its extension and its age Iskanwaya surpasses Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
in Peru, but its less well preserved.
Location
The sacred site of Iskanwaya is found on the edge of the Cordillera RealCordillera Real
Cordillera Real is the name of mountain chains in the Andes of South America:*Cordillera Real *Cordillera Real...
, 250 m above the Río Llica and 1,672 meters above sea level. The site is located near Aucapata
Aucapata
Aucapata is a location in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Aucapata Municipality, the third municipal section of the Muñecas Province.- References :*...
, a small town in the Muñecas Province
Muñecas Province
Muñecas is a province in the Bolivian department of La Paz. Its capital is Chuma.- Subdivision :The province is divided into three municipalities which are further subdivided into cantons.- External links :*...
.
Site
The city of Iskanwaya was built on two platforms on an area of 0.6 square kilometers and was notable for its running water. More than one hundred large buildings of an average of thirteen rooms have survived. Mollo streets ran in east-west direction. Their houses were rectangular and grouped around patios, they were built with blocks of slate stone, joined with mud trench mortars. AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
patterns included terracing and irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
UN-archaeologist Alvaro R. Fernholz Jemio suggests that in its time the site was inhabited by 2,500 to 3.000 people
Mollo Culture
The Iskanwaya ruins go back to the Mollo cultureMollo culture
The Mollo culture existed in Bolivia's altiplano area after the collapse of the Tiwanaku culture during the period of AD 1000 to 1500; it predated the Inca civilization. While the Mollo showed a continuity with Late Tiwanaku culture in both domestic and village architecture, they left no...
which predated the Inca civilization
Inca civilization
The Andean civilizations made up a loose patchwork of different cultures that developed from the highlands of Colombia to the Atacama Desert. The Andean civilizations are mainly based on the cultures of Ancient Peru and some others such as Tiahuanaco. The Inca Empire was the last sovereign...
and whose people presumably built the constructions as early as 800 BC or in their prime cultural period from 1145 to 1425.