The Sun Gate is a structure located in the city of Tiwanaku and considered one of the most important monuments of its culture. Tiwanaku is a city in Bolivia where important remnants of Inca culture are found. The city is located at an altitude of 4,000 meters, on the barren plain of the Altiplano. It is located 70 km from La Paz and close to the Peruvian border. The ruins in the city have been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 2000. Tiwanaku means “stone in the center” in the Aymara language.
The historic city of Tiwanaku served as the religious and administrative center of a community that lived around Lake Titicaca between 1500 BC and 1200 AD. There are differences of opinion about when and how the civilization that founded this city emerged. According to the most common view, this civilization; It emerged around the archaeological site called the “City of the Sun” on the southern shores of the lake. There is not enough information about how civilization developed. However, archaeological excavations show that the development of this civilization was in the south and southeast of the Lake. These areas now include northern Chile and western Bolivia. Some researches about the city show that the oldest cities of this civilization date back to 12 thousand years ago. Near Tiwanaku, there are many unsolved structures associated with extraterrestrials. Among them; considered mysterious waters ‘Lake Titicaca’besides Puma Punk and Saksaywaman such structures.
Features of Tiwanaku City
The city of Tiwanaku was located at the southern end of Lake Titicaca in ancient times. However, as a result of the evaporation of the lake, its width has decreased and the city is located approximately 20 km away from the lake shore. It has not yet been proven whether the influence of the Chavin de Huantar culture exists in the region. Tiwanaku’s influence extended from the Atacama region on the Pacific coast to the province of Cochabamba in the Cordillera and even today’s Argentina. It is known that the language of this culture is Aymara, which is still spoken by the local people today. Thanks to the determination of the ages of the ceramics between 100 BC and 1000 AD, which were unearthed during the excavations, more or less information was obtained about the chronological phases. Previously, the dating of the building and the old ruins could not be achieved, but researches carried out in recent years have provided more detailed information on this subject.
The city of Tiwanaku contains the works of a very advanced civilization in terms of architecture and stonemasonry. The most important city belonging to this civilization is the City of the Sun, which is associated with Kon Tici Viracocha. Among the most important monuments in the city are the seven-storey Akapana pyramid and the Sun Gate monument, which is thought to have made astronomical observations. The function of the huts at the top of the pyramid is not yet fully understood. Many tunnels or sewer systems have been discovered inside the pyramid. There are also monolith sculptures resembling Easter Island sculptures in the city.
Features of the Sun Gate
The Gate of the Sun was carved from a single block of andesite and is 3 meters high and 3.75 meters wide. Its weight is estimated between 7 and 12 tons. On it is a fresco of a god holding a staff with two snakes. This fresco appears to have been influenced by the Chavin de Huantar culture, and similar motifs are found on the Raimondi Stele. The reasons for the large structures built in the city are still unknown. However, it is thought that it was established as a settlement in astronomical terms and religious purposes were also taken into consideration. During the construction of these structures, stones weighing tons were brought from the quarry 300 km away.
When the Gate of the Sun was discovered by European explorers in the mid-19th century, the megalith lay horizontally on the ground and had a large crack in it. It collapsed as a result of historical events and was straightened again in 1908. The Sun Gate, the carvings that adorn the gate, are believed to have had astronomical or astrological significance and may have served a calendric purpose. But although there are various modern interpretations of the mysterious inscriptions, its exact meaning is not yet known. Scientists have found that the shape in the center represents the celestial cycles. The Gate of the Sun may have been a monument placed towards the sun in its region, representing the transition to the religion of the sun.
On the upper part of the Sun Gate, 48 figures are arranged around a flying God in the middle. There are crowned cougars, vultures, winged creatures, humans and figures who kneel before the god or turn their backs on him, walking away. The identity of the god in the middle is not known for certain. According to ancient Inca legends; Gods lived here before people with an advanced civilization settled here. The stalagmite, with its windows and corners, looks like it was made with modern tools. Some archaeologists claim that the ruins were built by the Anden Indians between 2000 and 3000 years ago, while historians believe they were founded by the gods. The Sun Gate stands out as the most famous monument.
The 48 figures on the door are thought to be calendars. The reliefs on the door include stylized machines, astronomers, rockets, and calendars of the planets Venus and Mars. The city of Tiwanaku was left to the Aymara Indians after it was founded by the gods, and the Sun Gate is perhaps the oldest calendar in the world. It contains reliefs showing the sky 27 thousand years ago. The Triad calendar includes calculations for the Holy Year, the Solar Year, and the Venusian Year. Although the reliefs embroidered all the planets, there is no Moon. Dr. Bellamy and Dr. Allan claims that in the Sun Gate symbols, the Moon appeared in the earth’s orbit between 11,500 and 13,000 years ago, and that the lunar rotations 13,000 years ago were calculated as 425 revolutions.
The Sun Gate carved stone calendar is divided into four parts. Each section shows the four earthly seasons in astronomical terms, and each of these four sections is divided into 3 to show the 12 months of the year. Tiwanaku astronomers counted the year as 290 days and the months as 24 days, showing the moon’s state in detail for each day.
