Located in Bolivia, Puma Punku stands as one of the most intriguing archaeological sites in the world. According to Design Times, the site was built by the Tiwanaku culture around 536-600 AD and is considered a part of a 'complex' within the larger Tiwanaku site, which was a major center of civilization before the Inca Empire.
Some researchers suggest that Puma Punku may be the place where the world started, a belief rooted in Incan mythology and the site's construction.
To learn more, scientists have been doing a Puma Punku reconstruction in 3D form.
This will allow researchers to explore the advanced techniques used by the Tiwanaku people in stonework and construction. After all, History reported that the precise cuts, interlocking stones, and the use of large stone blocks, some weighing up to 131 tons, challenges modern understanding of ancient technologies.
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What Puma Punku Reconstruction Reveals
(Photo : Alexei Vranich / Springer Open)
Prior to Puma Punku reconstruction Vranich found that the site is about 14,000 years old and is one of the oldest ruins in the world. Though it is not uncertain whether who built it or why they disappeared. But experts believed the Tiwanaku civilization, which predates the Inca Empire, is estimated to have built Puma Punku.
Now, the age of the site is valuable to scientists because it provides a glimpse into the early development of complex societies in the Andean region.
Advanced Engineering
This 'complex' description extends to Puma Punku's advanced stonework. According to Sci News, it consists of massive blocks that were cut with such precision they fit together without mortar, a technique that was incredibly advanced for its time.
In a study by JP Protzen in 1997, the largest stone blocks at Pumapunku are huge. The biggest one measures 25.6 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 3.5 feet thick, weighing about 144 tons. Another large block is 25.9 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 6 feet thick, weighing about 94 tons. Both are made of red sandstone and were part of a structure called the Plataforma Lítica. Archaeologists have found that these sandstone blocks were transported from a quarry near Lake Titicaca, about 6.2 miles away. Smaller blocks made from andesite came from quarries about 56 miles away.
There are debates about how these stones were moved. Some theories suggest using llama skin ropes and ramps. When assembling the walls, the stones fit together like puzzle pieces, creating strong joints. Some stones have a thin layer of mortar, and the precision of their cuts indicates advanced stone-cutting skills.
Unfinished stones show the techniques used to shape them, and experts believe that the methods used were more advanced than those of the Incas. No specific tools used for the construction have been found, and some historians think that the artisans might have had tools that we don't know about yet.
In addition to the impressive masonry, Tiwanaku engineers also built irrigation systems, hydraulic mechanisms, and leak-proof sewage lines.
(Photo : JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD / Wikimedia Commons)
Why Puma Punku Reconstruction is Important
Vranich noted that ruins of Tiwanaku, especially the Puma Punku, are important to study because they were heavily damaged by looters during the colonial period.
Over the past 500 years, treasure hunters have destroyed much of the building, scattering about 150 stone blocks.
As a response, researchers have measured the remaining pieces and used these measurements to create a 3D model of the building. This model, scaled down to 4% of the original size, allows researchers to physically manipulate and test the pieces to understand how they fit together.
By creating a 3D model of the Puma Punku reconstruction, further research and education can be provided by experts.
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