The World Heritage Sites visited in Bolivia 2009 / 2010

 

Site No. 567rev Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture
We are very thankful, that we got the permission to take pictures here. It was a pity, that the duration to get this permission took us several hours, therefore we could not photograph the sun gate in the right light. Nevertheless the site itself was very interesting, because this culture reached its peak between 500 and 900 A.D. - shortly before the Inca´s came to rule the land. The stone cuttings, movements, carvings, and ornaments are as impressive as in Cusco or Machu Picchu. No wonder. The skillfull people from the Tiwanaku culture were integrated into the Inca empire, after they were conquered. The Tiwanaku played a leading role in the development of all the Andean prhispanic civilizations.		Impression:  Accessibility:  Crowded:  Pricing:
Site No. 420 City of Potosí
The town dates back to the 16th century, where gold was found in the Cerro Rico, building up a gold rush, that made Potosi to one of the biggest cities in South America at that time. Mining is still the biggest impression in this city today. Visiting one of the mines, strolling around in the centre, experiencing the House of the Money, or having a look at the worker´s homes makes this town really worth a visit.		Impression:  Accessibility:  Crowded:  Pricing:
Site No 566 Historic City of Sucre
If you would look for a "white city" in Bolivia (like Arequipa in Per) you will end in Sucre. You will find a lot of buildings from the 16th century, where the spanish style is mixed with local craftmanship. We really did like the time of our stay here and will come back again for sure. The roads to get there are good in Bolivian standards, although the commercial and touristic centres are concentrated in the North and West.		Impression:  Accessibility:  Crowded:  Pricing:
Site No. 529 Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
In the beginning of the 18th century there were another six Jesuitical Missions founded in the area: San Francisco Javier, Concepción, Santa Ana, San Miguel, San Rafael and San José. The mixture of Catholic architecture with indigenous element is obvious. Only to reach on very bad roads, it is hard to get to the different locations. At the end of the drive you can encounter either a lovely village with a very nice plaza and church (Santa Ana de Velasco) - or settlements where rubbish is all over the place and a nice chapel hides in the middle (San Rafael). The restored buildings are awesome anyway and well worth a visit!		Impression:  Accessibility:  Crowded:  Pricing:
Site No. 883 Fuerte de Samaipata
A religious and political centre in the pre-Hispanic 14th to 16th centuries existed high up in the Andean mountains of Bolivia - in the middle of nowhere. Fascinating is the proof of a highly developed community at that time, emerging already in 300 AD, when they started shaping this rock. Today you can reach the site difficultly, but it shows interesting features, like this huge rock of stone, carved with endless lines and patterns. A lot is left to your own imagination, the remains are not plentiful. A little confusing for us were the different architectural styles. The Inca took the area and built their own structures later, destroying quite a bit of the original idea.		Impression:  Accessibility:  Crowded:  Pricing: