El Fuerte de Samaipata

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Fuerte de Samaipata


State Party = BOL
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iii
ID = 883
Region = Latin America and the Caribbean
Year = 1998
Session = 22nd
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/883

El Fuerte de Samaipata (English: "Fort Samaipata"), also known simply as 'El Fuerte', is an archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Santa Cruz Department, Province of Florida, Bolivia. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes, and is a popular tourist destination for Bolivians and foreigners alike. It is served by the nearby town of Samaipata.

It is not actually a military fortification but it is generally considered a pre-Columbian religious site, possibly built by pre-Incas.

More recently, it has been pronounced to be a flying saucer launching and landing site by Erich Von Daniken, well known author of "Chariots of the Gods?" This is lent credence in certain circles due to the parallel sloping grooves cut into the rock at the highest point of the site. Archaeologists, however, contend that the unusual carvings may be from a pre-Inca civilization on this Amazonian slope who were commemorating the flyover of Halley's Comet in March 1066 CE.

El Cascabel

The most important feature of El Fuerte seems to be El Cascabel. El Cascabel can be translated as 'The Rattle'. Two parallel lines point to certain points in the eastern sky at a position of azimuth 71° and an altitude of about 6.75° . One can have looked along the parallel lines, standing on the place of observation in front of the Inca-wall at the foot of El Fuerte and watched the "parallel rising" of two planets at sunrise on August 20 1066 AD above both lines against the background of constellation Leo: Venus and Jupiter.

Protection

Due to damage caused by visitors walking on the symbols cut into the rock and by erosion caused by waterfall, the inner area is cordoned off to prevent more damage. However most of it can still be viewed.Access to the site is easy, many operators run buses from nearby Samaipata. There is a small entrance charge.The site is under the care of Stonewatch, which is a non profit society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art.

External links

* [http://www.stonewatch.de/cds_and_books/special_cds/specialCD1/specialCD1.html StoneWatch - society and academy for conservation and documentation of rock art]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/883/ Official UNESCO World Heritage Site webpage]
* [http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/bolivia/samaipata.html Site with some pictures and information]