Puma Punku

Puma Punku temples are regarded as Pyramids of Bolivia. The series of Pyramids are located in Tiwanaku or Tiahuanaco, Bolivia. They are believed to have been constructed in 12,000 B.C, though different estimates abound. Puma Punku temples were intentionally erected adjoining the Llimani Mountains as the common belief was that the spirits of the dead people of Tiwanaku reside in those mountains.

The temple architecture and technologies to build them is so sophisticated that full details of the geometry and the methods applied to build the structure is still not fully understood. The temples are spread on some 164 sq.ft area. The wheel has not been invented and the builders were also unaware of the cement to bind the structures together so the stones were cut in a way that each stone exactly sits into the other stone, exactly as the pieces of jigsaw puzzle do.One stone is supported on another by fitting them on an angle that would support the weight of stone. Often the measurement of angle is so precise that even a razor blade could not be inserted in between. To make the base of the structure was a difficult and breathtaking task, as it was to rise in the sky, and was built to inspire awe in all the people attending. The stones were pivoted directly in the rock under the earth. The structure was further reinforced by the use of brackets between two stones and inserting a support to keep them from being detached.

At its height it was a pilgrimage site. African culture uses psychoactive drugs like psilocybin extracted from cacti to induce mental states. The traces of hallucinogens have been found in young and adult bodies recovered from the site.

Puma Punku was also an altar where humans were sacrificed. Dismantled bodies found at the area indicate its sacrificial importance also.