Tiahuanaco:
This impressive temple is located
at
72 kilometers from La Paz and was built by the
men of this culture, that developed in the highland, approximately
between the years 1580 B.C and 1172 A.C.
The tiahuanacotas
archeological remains -consisted of a ceremonial and a religious
area- are one of the most splendid shows of the architectural
development reached by the first inhabitants of the Andean heights.
The Door of
the Sun, the Temple of Kalasasaya, the Pyramids of Akhapana and
Puma Punku, the monoliths Fraile and Ponce and a great quantity
of tenon heads, are the main monuments that can be appreciated.
Town
of Tiahuanaco: Around the
archaeological
area, we can find the small town of Tiahuanaco, in which the colonial
church of San Pedro, whose walls were lifted with stones extracted
from the walls of the pre-colombinan temple are remarkable.
Laja:
located before Tiahauanaco and according
to
the historical data it was here where the captain Alonso de Mendoza
founded, originally, the city of Nuestra Señora de La
Paz; however, three days later, the inclemency of the
climate made him change his mind. At the present time, the biggest
attraction in this town is its colonial church.
Valley
of the Moon: If there was not the
asphalt
serpentine or there were no coughs due to the combustion of the
automobiles, you can even think that you have left the earth and
have been transferred to the surface of the moon, because at this
corner of La Paz -at less than 20 kilometers
from the center- the erosion has given some incredible, surprising
formsto the rocks. Forms that are strange to this world.
Chachaltaya mountain: it is the highest skiing area of the world.
The Chacaltaya (5,580 meters high), is one of the mountains of
the Real Mountain range of the Oriental Andes and it is only at
36 kilometers from La Paz. From their summit,
you can appreciate the cold summits of the Illimani, the Mururata
and the Huayna Potosí, among others, in all their magnificence.