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May as well lob this one into the discussion - Tiahuanacu
The article says nothing really new (and veers towards the loopy fringe at one point, talking of vast underground tunnels and cities), but this is an interesting site, possibly 17,000 years old.
The article says nothing really new (and veers towards the loopy fringe at one point, talking of vast underground tunnels and cities), but this is an interesting site, possibly 17,000 years old.
Although today the nearest body of water, Lake Titicaca, is some 15 miles away, numerous archaeological studies indicate Tiahunacu was once a large thriving seaport where literally hundreds of ships may have docked. Historians think the original city was built when the shore was only 600 feet away.
Built before the Great Flood of the Old Testament, the city is one of the oldest on the planet -- if not the oldest.
....
The gate of the sun
The 10-ton Gateway to the Sun is monolithic, carved from a single block of Andesite granite. It is broken through the center, leading investigators to wonder what sort of tremendous forces could have achieved this feat.
The upper portions of the gate are carved with beautiful and intricate designs, including a human figure, condors, toxodons, elephants and some symbols. Directly in the center is the so-called Sun God with rays shooting from its face in all directions. The god is holding a stylized staff in each hand which may represent thunder and lightning. It is sometimes referred to as the "weeping god" because tears are carved on its cheeks.
The figures flanking the centerpiece are unfinished, causing viewers to wonder what could have interrupted the craftsmen. Of the animals represented on the gate, two have been extinct for thousands of years. Jaguars and condors are still with us, but toxodons and elephants can no longer be found in the area. History shows that an elephant-like creature thrived in the area during the Pleistocene era, some 11,000-12,000 years ago.