WHO WAS THE DISCOVERER OF THE TIAHUANACO CULTURE? - HISTORY - 2025

The discoverer of the Tiahuanaco culture was the Spanish chronicler Pedro Cieza de León, in the middle of the 16th century. This culture ranged from the Peruvian coast to northern Bolivia, including sections to northern Chile and Argentina.

The capital of the Tiahuanaco culture was located in the basin of the sacred Lake Tititaca, in Bolivia, at more than 3,800 meters above sea level. It was the highest city in the ancient world.

The Tiahuanaquenses had a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants, and they left testimony of their culture through architecture and stone sculpture.

The tiahuanaquenses lived for more than 2,500 years, and they were one of the most impressive pre-Columbian civilizations known to date. So much so that they had a considerably high influence on the Inca Empire.

The end of their civilization occurred around the year 1200 AD. Three centuries later, the Spanish chronicler Pedro Cieza de León documented his experience by discovering the archaeological remains of the Tiahuanaco culture.

Pedro de Cieza, the discoverer of the tiahuanaco culture

Pedro Cieza de Leon

Pedro de Cieza, of Spanish origin, developed a military career in the New World in the middle of 1520, at a very young age.

He served in the troops of the Spanish conqueror Jorge Robledo, who he supported in the founding of the current Colombian municipalities of Anserma and Cártago, in 1540.

In 1547 he decided to put himself at the command of the president of the Royal Court of Lima and interim governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru, Pedro de la Gasca. It is here when he begins his crusade through the Andes and dedicates himself to writing a chronicle on Peruvian history.

His reviews were to the liking of La Gasca, who appointed him officially as chronicler of the Indies. It also provided the necessary resources for him to continue the historical documentation process.

By then, Cieza de León dedicated himself to traveling tirelessly through Peru, and it is there that he discovers the archaeological remains of the Tiahuanaco civilization.

"Chronicles of Peru", his great work

The writing of the Chronicles of Peru was carried out between the years 1540 and 1550, structured into four fundamental sections.

In the Chronicles of Peru, the second part entitled "El Señorío de los Incas" recounts the impressions of Cieza de León during his stay in the town of Tihauanaco.

The text quotes the following: "Tiahuanaco is not a very large town, but it is mentioned by the great buildings it has, which are certainly something remarkable and to see."

The chronicler also mentions the presence of stone idols “of the human figure and figure, very primitively made and the features formed; so much so that it seems that they were made by the hand of great craftsmen or masters "

Cieza alludes to the “great stone foundations” located near the main rooms, and it is strongly questioned how these large and heavy rocks were moved by man, and also from such distant distances.

At the end of 1550 he returned to his native land with the manuscripts of the Chronicles of Peru to publish them in Spain.

However, he did not get the support he hoped for from the Spanish government, and the first part of his chronicle was only published in mid-1553.

The other sections of the chronicles were recovered by a group of Peruvian historians, and published in the mid-fourteenth century.

Pedro Cieza de León died in Seville on July 2, 1554.

References

1. Cartwright, M. (2014). Tiwanaku. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited. London, United Kingdom. Recovered from: ancient.eu.
2. Cieza de León, Pedro (1880). Posthumous publication. Chronicle of Peru: The Lordship of the Incas. Recovered from: detiahuanaco.com.
3. Gonzáles, A. (2010). Tihuanaco culture. Recovered from: historiacultural.com.
4. Pedro Cieza de León (2010). Bank of the Republic. Bogota Colombia. Recovered from: banrepcultural.org.
5. Tiwanaku (2014). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. London, UK. Recovered from: britannica.com.