📷 Andrés Condarco · Pexels

Where in the world

Bolivia

El Fuerte de Samaipata

Inca · Bolivia

Field notes

civilizations: Inca
types: Sanctuary · Petroglyph
occupied: 300 CE — 1,600 CE
country: Bolivia

The site

El Fuerte de Samaipata, or simply El Fuerte, is a pre-Columbian site in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes. Despite its name it served religious, ceremonial and residential purposes, and it uniquely encompasses buildings of three cultures: the Chané who likely began it, the Inca who added a plaza and residences as their empire pushed eastward, and the Spanish. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it draws Bolivian and foreign visitors alike.

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