El Fuerte de Samaipata
Other Sacred Sites and Religious Art | April 21, 2010El Fuerte de Samaipata is an ancient archaeological site located in Santa Cruz Department, Florida Province, Bolivia. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountain and is a big tourist attraction in South America. The unique site features a stone hill carved with a variety of figures, of animals like jaguars, snakes and cats and geometric figures, and has been designated a World Heritage Site.
Samaipata, located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, lies about 120 kilometres to the southwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The inner area of the site has been cordoned off to prevent damage being caused by visitors as well as erosion caused by the waterfall.
The site is under the supervision of Stonewatch, a non profit society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art.
History:
Samaipata was a centre of worship as well as place of residence for the Mojocoya people as early as 300 AD and the stone carvings on the rock were also made around this time.
It is said that the site was occupied by the Inca people in the 14th century and it was made the provincial capital. This fact has been confirmed by archaeological excavations of a central plaza with monumental public buildings around it and hillside terraces for agriculture, which are characteristics of Inca civilization. The site was first unearthed by the Spanish, who called it ‘El Fuerte’ (The Fort). The site had suffered raids in the hands of the Guarani warriors.
In the 16th century, the Spanish set up a colonial settlement in the valley beneath the ancient site in Samaipata. The hilltop structures were later abandoned and soon faded into oblivion. Excavation of the site had begun since early 20th century.
Swiss theorist Erich von Däniken later concluded that Samaipata rock was used as a UFO launch site in the past.
Samaipata Attractions:
- Samaipata comprises stone carvings high on the hill and the residential area to the south.
- The ceremonial area features a water tank with two parallel conduits leading to the settlement beneath. The parallel grooves here have been described as von Däniken as a runway for the UFO.
Between and alongside the parallel groves are smaller channels cut in zigzag patterns, which the locals refer to as El Dorso de la Serpiente (The Snake’s Back).- The stone hill top features a seating arrangement known as the Coro de los Sacerdotes (Choir of the Priests). Here, 12 seats are deeply carved into the hilltop in a circle and within the circle is another set of three seats placed back-to-back and face outward toward the outer circle.
- The southern face of the rock was originally dominated by a series of temples or sanctuaries (at least five in number) dating back to the Inca period.
- Casa Colonial (Colonial House) situated on an artificial platform at the foot of the rock. Excavations have shown existence of Inca and pre-Inca (Chanes) structures and (it is known as the Plaza of the Three Cultures, the third being the Spanish).
- El Cascabel
- Other rock features including remains of two Inca houses, like those from Machu Picchu.
- Kallanka, an enormous building, situated on a series of three artificial platforms.
Climate:
Samaipata experiences temperate, semi-dry and mild average annual temperature. Cold winds called Surazos enter the valleys of Santa Cruz from Argentina causing the temperature to freeze. Summer days are warm and nights cool.
Reaching Samaipata:
Local operators run buses from Samaipata.
Samaipata Accommodation:
- El Pueblito Resort
- Andoriña Hostal, Art & Culture
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The archeological site at El Fuerte is unique and it encompasses buildings of three different cultures: Chanes, Incas and Spaniards.
It is not actually a military fortification but it is generally considered a pre-Columbian religious site, built by the Chanes, a pre-Inca culture of Arawak origin. There are also ruins of an Inca city built near the temple; the city was built during the Inca expansion to the southeast.
Both Incas and Chanes suffered several raids from Guarani warriors that invaded the region from time to time