It was one of the largest and greatest empires in the world, as well as the oldest civilization in the Americas: the cradle of man in the Americas, comprising almost half of present-day Bolivia, parts of southern Peru, the northwest section of Argentina, and almost half of Chile. The site, which was once the capital of this empire, is just an hour from La Paz.

At its peak, more than 20,000 people lived in this city, and the Tiwanakans were many centuries ahead of Europe in technology and agriculture until the civilization mysteriously disappeared around 1150 BC.