El Fuerte de Samaipata is an archaeological site whose name translates to Fort Samaipata and includes the buildings of Chanè, Inca, and Spanish cultures. It was likely originally built by a pre-Inca people known as the Chanè around 300 AD.
As well as the remains of a Spanish settlement with buildings resonant of Arab Andalusian architecture, the site contains the remains of an Inca plaza as well as residences. These date from the 15th and 16th centuries. This makes the Inca site contemporary with the eastward expansion of the Inca empire from the Andes towards the foothills.
For the Inca, the site of Samaipata was transformed from a Chanè settlement into an administrative, ceremonial and religious centre. The 17th century Spanish chronicler, Diego Felipe de Alcaya, reported that the Inca led an army to the area and persuaded the local leader and his 50,000 subjects to submit to Inca rule.
Samaipata became the conquering ruler Guacane’s capital. Samaipata means “the heights of rest” in the Inca language of Quechua and surmounts a 1,900 metre high mountain top. The Spanish established El Fuerte de Samaipata, a camp and possible fortress, from the late 16th century onwards. Formal Spanish settlement took place in 1615.
The archaeological site at El Fuerte de Samaipata is 20 hectares and is divided into a ceremonial sector and an administrative and residential sector. While the inner area of the site is cordoned off to visitors to prevent damage, most of the site can be viewed in exchange for an entrance fee.
Access to El Fuerte de Samaipata is straightforward from nearby Samaipata via one of the buses run by a variety of operators. Samaipata is a 3 hour drive from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the largest city in Bolivia.
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The National Mint of Bolivia was built to regulate the minting of Spanish colonial coins from the silver mine at Potosí. It was constructed between 1753 and 1773 and today is one of the most impressive museums in Bolivia and South America.
A previous mint in Potosí was built on the site of the Casa de Justicia in 1572. The National Mint replaced it. The Mint is ornamented with an impressive colonial facade and walls which are over a metre thick.
The last coins were minted here in 1953. In 1987, the building was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status as part of the listing for the city of Potosí.
The building has functioned as a military headquarters as well as a prison and fortress. The machinery of minting in the Spanish colony and the Republic of Bolivia is preserved in the museum which inhabits the building today.
Visitors to the National Mint are able to view a range of religious paintings from an artistic school originating in Potosí, as well as the machinery that turned silver into coins. A guided tour of the National Mint is available in multiple languages.
The National Mint of Bolivia is in the centre of Potosí. You can visit at certain times so aim to plan in advance. Arriving at a time such as first opening will mean you will be more likely to join a group for the guided tour.
]]>Although legends have grown up around this pair of bank robbers, it is almost certain that the duo met their end here on 7 November 1908, at this small and insignificant town about a four hour drive along a dirt track from Uyuni, following their robbery of a mining payroll mule transporting 15,000 pesos.
Their bodies have never been exhumed so it’s uncertain whether this is true, but the small mining community at San Vicente – which is one of the world’s largest silver mines – still remember the famous outlaws.
There are no paved roads in this part of Southern Bolivia. The landscape is bleak, and the altitude is high on this pilgrimage to the sad end of Butch and Sundance, (or not, if you believe the legends) so romantically played in the 1969 film by Paul Newman and Robert Redford. If you do make it to the end of the trail, you are rewarded by a small museum with some facts and photos of these outlaws. The town is gated, and vehicles should be left outside.
The Canadian mining company, Pan American Silver, opened the San Vicente Museum as a way of bringing additional income to the town.
The museum is very small, and is accessed by tracking down the lady who holds the keys. In this one room, there are pictures and explanations of the lives and deaths of these two heroes. It is useful to have a Spanish speaker available, not only to find the lady with the keys, but also to translate the explanations.
There are none of the trappings of larger museums and no gift shop, no restaurant, and no toilets. It is worth the trip, if only for the experience, but do not be disappointed by the size of the museum or the emptiness of the town.
Many come here with Tupiza Tours – it’s an easier option than doing it yourself and you’ll be met with less suspicion, particularly if you don’t speak Spanish. It’s about 100km off the main drag (Ruta 21) – the turn off is in Tupiza, and from there, the roads are pretty much all unpaved. You’ll want a 4×4 and probably to share the driving if possible, as it’s a long old way.
Uyuni is the nearest big tourist hotspot – if you want to go alone, it’s worth checking if anyone else is heading in the same direction to share costs.
]]>Tiwanaku started out as a small farming village in approximately 1200 BC, possibly the first to ever cultivate potatoes. Over the course of the first century, Tiwanaku developed and, by 550 BC, it was a thriving capital of a vast empire with a presence throughout much of the Americas.
At its peak, Tiwanaku had around 20,000 inhabitants. The city remained prosperous over the coming centuries and satellite towns were built, altogether with a population of up to 175,000 people.
The people of Tiwanaku built a magnificent city spanning approximately 2.3 square kilometres with monuments, temples, homes and public buildings. Constructed using the adobe method, this feat was all the more impressive when one considers that Tiwanaku is located approximately 3.5 kilometres above sea level, requiring many of their materials to be transported over long distances.
Tiwanaku was still flourishing in 900 AD, however by the time it was discovered by the Incas in the mid-fifteenth century, it was entirely abandoned, probably having declined in the twelfth century because of a major drought. 16th century Spanish conquistadors wrote about the city, but it had long been abandoned by this point. Regardless, the legacy of the Tiwanaku Empire remains today, albeit in ruins.
That which remains is incredible and has resulted in much excited speculation over the years. For example, the many carved heads on the “Templete” or Small Semi-Subterranean Temple were probably meant to represent humans, but have been said to resemble aliens. This has led to some ‘alternative’ theories as to who – or what – built Tiwanaku.
One of Tiwanaku’s most famous structures is its Akapana temples, which would once have been a pyramid, but has since been significantly eroded, both by looters and by nature. However, its 16 square metre base does allude to the former grandeur of this structure.
Today, Tiwanaku is a popular tourist site and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitor can view its many monuments, gates – such as the well-known Gateway of the Sun – and statues, all of which attest to the importance of this once ceremonial city.
The site has remarkably well preserved carvings, and is often extremely quiet. There’s limited signage (even in Spanish), so it’s best to read up before you go: hiring a guide can be extremely useful if you want a fuller picture of what life might have been like at Tiwanaku.
Remember the altitude: take it easy as you might find yourself breathless, particularly if you choose to do any hiking or climb the pyramid.
There are two museums on site which are well worth taking in, although most of the signage is in Spanish. The town of Tiwanaku has amenities, including restaurants, accommodation and a 16th century church believed to have been built with stones from the site itself.
Tiwanaku is about 2 hours east of La Paz and makes a great day trip, particularly for any ruin aficionados. Minibuses run from the Cementerio General in La Paz to Tiwanaku: check whether or not they go to the ruins or the town, as they’re about a mile apart. If you plan on walking between the two, bring water, a hat and good shoes as the Bolivian sun is very strong!
It’s also worth checking with your driver what times the bus makes the return journey as you don’t want to end up stuck there.
]]>The town of Uyuni, high on the Andean plains, was an important colonial transportation hub in South America, connecting several major towns as part of the ambitious European project to link east and west South America. Imperial expansion meant that there were plans to grow the network of trains running through, but these were gradually abandoned as relations
Trains and railway building equipment were simply abandoned, left to rust, as it was easier than transporting them back to transport hubs, given Uyuni’s remote location. The majority of the locomotives are early 20th century British trains. Abandoned trains are far from special in themselves, but the salt winds that whip across the plains in Uyuni corroded the steel, leaving a somewhat more eerie sight.
No matter how many pictures you’ve seen, the Train Cemetery remains magical. The light – particularly at dawn or dusk – on the salt plains is beautiful, and there’s something haunting about these steel giants being reclaimed by the powers of nature.
The trains are in far from good condition – they were picked over for pieces over a hundred years ago, and combined with increasing tourist numbers and exposure to the elements, they’re in pretty bad shape. It’s worth bearing this in mind before you jump all over them!
The site itself gets extremely busy during the day as almost every tour company will visit en route to or from the salt flats – if you really want to experience the site at its most atmospheric, come for sunrise or sunset to make the most of the relative emptiness and the ethereal light.
Don’t come expecting there to be much however: whilst it is absolutely worth a visit, there isn’t an extensive site nor any information to read. It’s a place to come to soak up the atmosphere and remoteness of the Andean plains rather than a tourist hotspot.
The cemetery is about 10 minutes outside the town of Uyuni – taxis or local buses will be able to drop you here easily if you don’t have your own transport. It’s about half an hour’s walk from the centre of town if you want to stretch your legs, although you might want to avoid this if you’re going early or late i.e. not in daylight.
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