﻿Vol.2] 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  ANDES 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  117 
  

  

  axes. 
  Bone 
  needles, 
  disks, 
  and 
  incised 
  tubes 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  shell 
  wa- 
  

   cut 
  into 
  disks 
  and 
  beads. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  woodwork, 
  cals 
  

   abashes, 
  basketry, 
  and 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  perishable 
  materials, 
  although 
  

   they 
  doubtless 
  existed. 
  

  

  The 
  Classic 
  Tiahuanaco 
  Period 
  places 
  great 
  emphasis 
  on 
  masonry. 
  

   No 
  other 
  Peruvian 
  period 
  matches 
  the 
  exactness 
  and 
  precision 
  of 
  the 
  

   stonework 
  in 
  its 
  careful 
  cutting, 
  dressing, 
  squaring, 
  and 
  notching. 
  

   The 
  nearest 
  rivals 
  are 
  Chavin 
  and 
  Inca 
  but 
  even 
  in 
  those 
  cultures 
  the 
  

   masonry 
  is 
  inferior. 
  

  

  Classic 
  Tiahuanaco 
  also 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  stone-carving 
  design 
  style, 
  

   in 
  contrast 
  to 
  stone 
  carving 
  as 
  such. 
  For 
  people 
  so 
  adept 
  in 
  the 
  cut- 
  

   ting 
  and 
  working 
  of 
  stone, 
  the 
  sculpture 
  is 
  remarkably 
  simple 
  and 
  plain. 
  

   The 
  intricate 
  designs, 
  however, 
  which 
  are 
  applied 
  to 
  statues, 
  slabs, 
  and 
  

   gateways 
  are 
  surprising 
  to 
  find 
  on 
  stonework. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  

   " 
  Gateway 
  of 
  the 
  Sun" 
  has 
  a 
  central, 
  upright 
  figure 
  with 
  an 
  elaborate 
  

   crown 
  and 
  a 
  staff 
  in 
  each 
  hand. 
  On 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  this 
  central 
  figure 
  

   are 
  three 
  rows 
  of 
  running, 
  human 
  figures, 
  some 
  with 
  condor 
  masks. 
  

   Along 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  gateway 
  is 
  a 
  frieze 
  of 
  front-view 
  faces, 
  each 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  tab 
  appendages. 
  The 
  incised 
  designs 
  on 
  the 
  statues 
  add 
  

   other 
  elements, 
  such 
  as 
  condor 
  heads, 
  puma 
  heads, 
  fish 
  heads, 
  and 
  

   geometric 
  units. 
  The 
  style 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  is 
  angular, 
  rigid, 
  and 
  highly 
  

   conventionalized, 
  and 
  few 
  concessions 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  difficult 
  medium 
  

   on 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  applied. 
  The 
  similarity 
  to 
  textile 
  designs 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  The 
  ceramic 
  design, 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  that 
  found 
  on 
  stonework, 
  is 
  quite 
  

   simple. 
  Thus 
  two 
  design 
  styles 
  can 
  be 
  recognized, 
  one 
  for 
  ceramics, 
  

   one 
  for 
  stone 
  carving 
  and 
  textiles. 
  These 
  two 
  groups 
  are 
  not 
  alto- 
  

   gether 
  mutually 
  exclusive, 
  but 
  the 
  more 
  elaborate 
  designs 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  

   carving 
  rarely 
  if 
  ever 
  occur 
  on 
  ceramics; 
  and, 
  likewise, 
  the 
  winged 
  king 
  

   condor, 
  the 
  profile 
  head, 
  the 
  full-front-bodied 
  warrior, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  

   curl-tailed 
  puma 
  are 
  not 
  common 
  on 
  carved 
  stone. 
  Tiahuanaco 
  style 
  

   has 
  generally 
  been 
  defined 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  stone-carving 
  design, 
  but 
  the 
  

   ceramic 
  style 
  is 
  clearly 
  recognizable. 
  

  

  Little 
  can 
  be 
  reconstructed 
  about 
  the 
  daily 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  builders 
  of 
  

   Tiahuanaco. 
  The 
  art 
  and 
  the 
  existing 
  remains 
  preset 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  

   picture 
  of 
  social 
  organization, 
  political 
  organization, 
  or 
  the 
  economic 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  times. 
  Tiahuanaco 
  art 
  is 
  highly 
  impersonal. 
  In 
  all 
  prob- 
  

   ability, 
  the 
  designs 
  themselves 
  had 
  symbolic 
  meaning, 
  but 
  sound 
  inter- 
  

   pretation 
  is 
  difficult. 
  The 
  central 
  figure 
  on 
  the 
  " 
  Gateway 
  of 
  the 
  Sun" 
  

   has 
  been 
  called 
  an 
  important 
  religious 
  personage, 
  perhaps 
  Viracocha; 
  

   the 
  orientation 
  of 
  Calasasaya 
  with 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  has 
  been 
  

   used 
  to 
  imply 
  a 
  sun 
  cult; 
  the 
  ubiquitous 
  step 
  design 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  

   symbolic 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  which 
  flank 
  the 
  altiplano; 
  but, 
  in 
  reality, 
  

   there 
  is 
  slight 
  factual 
  basis 
  for 
  such 
  interpretation. 
  

  

  