Aftermath of Tiwanaku's Decline in the 1120s

Timeline

1. c. 1121–1126Lake Titicaca highlands · AltiplanoMaintenance costs for raised fields (waru waru) and terrace systems rose; lake-level fluctuations and climatic drought may have reduced food output of remaining settlements, accelerating the breakdown of dependence on Tiwanaku-centered redistribution.
2. c. 1123–1128Tiwanaku · La Paz DepartmentResidential density in core areas such as the Akapana pyramid and Kalasasaya was markedly lower than at the zenith; some areas were converted to pastoral or local ritual use, and imperial-scale gathering functions essentially ceased.
3. c. 1126–1130Kalasapata and Muratori · AltiplanoLocal chiefs formerly within the Tiwanaku cultural sphere declared independence, absorbing its stonework and religious symbols but on a far smaller scale, laying the foundation for later highland polities such as the Colla and the political mosaic before the Inca rise.