Middle AgesTechnology
Pumapunku built at Tiwanaku
c. 550 CENotableContested
Tiwanaku builders in the Bolivian highlands raise the Pumapunku platform, fitting sandstone and andesite blocks with precise cuts and cast metal clamps. Its finish later fuels claims of lost or alien technology.
Contested history
Consensus: The Tiwanaku culture built Pumapunku from about the sixth century CE, using stone tools, abrasives and careful planning.
Built by Tiwanaku about 1,500 years agoEstablished
Radiocarbon dates from its foundations place initial construction in the sixth century CE.
Some blocks were cast from a geopolymerMinority view
A 2018 study argued some andesite is artificial; most geologists and archaeologists are unconvinced.
Built 15,000 years ago or by aliensDebunked
Arthur Posnansky's early date rested on misread astronomy, and nothing at the site predates Tiwanaku.
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Documentacademia.edu
A radiocarbon chronology of the Pumapunku complex (Yaeger and Vranich) ↗Editor's pick