Decline of Tiwanaku

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1201Lake Titicaca basin · Lake TiticacaRaised-field (waru waru) and terrace farming systems sharply declined under persistent drought and falling lake levels; settlement sizes shrank, tribute and labor flows to core cities ceased, and social cohesion weakened.
2. c. 1100–1200Tiwanaku site · La Paz DepartmentCeremonial complexes such as the Akapana Pyramid, Kalasasaya, and the Gateway of the Sun ceased maintenance, and stone structures were dismantled for reuse; elites and artisans migrated outward, and the city lost its function as a regional religious-political center.
3. c. 1200–1250Bolivian Altiplano · Andean PlateauTiwanaku cultural elements were inherited by local chiefdoms and later the Inca Empire; the site itself became a sacred ruin in Andean cosmology, still pilgrimage to by local Aymara and other groups into the colonial period.