Tiwanaku Ruins, Bolivia

From La Paz, we took a day trip to visit the site of the ceremonial center of the Tiwanaku civilization. The Tiwanaku were a pre-Incan civilization that was based at the edge of the ancient Lake Titicaca, about a one-hour drive outside of La Paz. They were a force from 1500 B.C. to 1200 A.D. and spoke Aymará, a language that is still spoken by the majority of the people who live in northern Bolivia near La Paz and Lake Titicaca.

This is the "Puerta del Sol", or sun gate, a calendar in the center of the largest temple on the site.
The wall of a temple, with huge basalt blocks that came from at least 100 kilometers away from the site. Tiwanaku used to be a peninsula in Lake Titicaca before the water dropped, and archaeologists think they transported these huge rocks on reed boats.A view up into the main temple through the eastern door: Archaeological digs are ongoing at the site. These are workers sifting thought the excavated dirt.
My favorite place was the temple of the heads. Over two hundred carved heads of Tiwanaku leaders from various ethnic groups adorn the walls.
Here are a sampling of the ones I liked best:
-Naomi