El Fuerte de Samaipata facts for kids
View of the sculptured rock at El Fuerte
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 Location in Bolivia
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| Location | Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia |
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| Region | Andes |
| Coordinates | 18°10′42.08″S 63°49′8.36″W / 18.1783556°S 63.8189889°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 300 CE |
| Cultures | Chané, Incan, Spanish |
| Official name | Fuerte de Samaipata |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii |
| Designated | 1998 (22nd session) |
| Reference no. | 883 |
| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
El Fuerte de Samaipata or Fort Samaipata is an amazing ancient place in Bolivia. It's also called "El Fuerte" for short. This special spot is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning it's super important globally. You can find it in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes mountains. Many people, both from Bolivia and other countries, love to visit this historical site. The nearby town of Samaipata helps visitors get there easily.
What makes El Fuerte unique is that it has buildings and carvings from three different ancient cultures. These include the Chané, the Inca, and even the Spanish. Even though it's called a "fort," it was also a place for religious ceremonies and where people lived. The Chané, who were an older group from the Arawak family, probably started building it around 300 CE.
Later, the Incas expanded into this area. They built a plaza and homes here in the late 1400s and early 1500s. All these groups faced attacks from Guarani warriors. The Guarani settled in the region and controlled it for a long time, even during the Spanish colonial period.
The Spanish also built a settlement at Samaipata. You can still see parts of their buildings, which look like typical Arab Andalusian architecture. However, the Spanish soon left this fort. They moved to a nearby valley and started the town of Samaipata in 1618.
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Inca History at Samaipata
The Chané people first used Samaipata as a special place for rituals and living around 300 CE. They began shaping the huge rock that is the main part of the Samaipata ruins.
Around the late 1400s, the Incas started to include the Samaipata area in their empire. An Inca leader named Guacane came to the area. He gave gifts to the local leader, Grigota, and his 50,000 people. This convinced them to join the Inca rule. Guacane made Samaipata his main city. "Samaipata" means "the heights of rest" in the Quechua language, which the Incas spoke.
Samaipata was an important Inca center for government, ceremonies, and religion. Like other Inca cities on the edge of their empire, Samaipata was protected by smaller forts. One fort, called La Fortaleza, was about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the east. Its ruins are on a mountaintop overlooking the lowlands. Samaipata was one of the most eastern and isolated parts of the Inca Empire.
Later, the Eastern Bolivian Guaraní people, also called Chiriguanos, attacked the area. They killed Guacane and Grigota. The Incas tried to fight back but couldn't remove the Chiriguanos. An Inca building at Samaipata was destroyed by fire, which supports this story. These attacks likely started around the 1520s.
The Spanish, along with Inca supporters, might have used Samaipata as a fort in the 1570s. But the official Spanish settlement began in 1615, while the Chiriguanos were still a threat. You can still see a Spanish house among the ruins today.
Exploring the Ancient Site
The Samaipata archaeological site is quite large, covering about 20 hectares (50 acres). It's split into two main parts: a ceremonial area and a living/administrative area. Some of the Inca buildings were built on top of older Chané structures.
The Ceremonial Rock
The ceremonial part is in the northern section of the site. It's about 220 meters (720 feet) long and 60 meters (200 feet) wide. This area is mostly a huge rock covered with carvings. These carvings were made by both the Incas and the Chané people before them.
The carvings show many different things. You can see geometric shapes and animal figures. There are also carved walls, small rooms called niches, and long canal-like carvings. One famous carving is called "the spine of the serpent" or "el cascabel" (the rattle).
The most important part of the ceremonial area is the "coro de los sacerdotes" (choir of the priests). This is at the highest point of the rock. It has 18 carved seats, probably for important people during ceremonies. At the bottom of the rock, there are 21 rectangular niches. These might have been homes for priests or places to store special items for ceremonies. Other niches and small spaces are found all over the ruins.
The Living and Government Area
The southern part of the site was where people lived and where the government was run. Samaipata might have been an Inca provincial capital. It had all the buildings needed for such an important city.
The most noticeable feature is a large plaza, about 100 meters (330 feet) on each side. On the south side of the plaza is a "kallanka." This is a long, rectangular building common in Inca cities. It showed the Inca's political power. The kallanka at Samaipata is 70 meters (230 feet) long and 16 meters (52 feet) wide. It was used for big public gatherings, feasts, and housing visitors or soldiers. This kallanka is the second largest in Bolivia. However, it seems its construction was stopped, as the drainage system and roof were not finished.
Also in this area was the Acllahuasi. This was a special place for women called Aclla. These women were chosen to weave textiles, become wives of Inca nobles, or take part in ceremonies. Sometimes, they were part of religious sacrifices. Having an Acllahuasi was typical for important Inca settlements.
Protecting El Fuerte
To keep this amazing site safe, some inner areas are now blocked off. This helps prevent damage from visitors walking on the carved symbols and from water erosion. But don't worry, you can still see most of it!
It's easy to visit El Fuerte. Many buses run from the nearby town of Samaipata. There's a small fee to enter. The site is looked after by Stonewatch, a group that helps protect and record rock art.
Gallery
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General view of the El Fuerte temple.
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Sloping parallel slots cut in the rock.
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Niches cut in the rock. This is where the priests lived or stored ceremonial items.
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Circular rock carving. (Approx. 1 metre diameter.) There are several of these, some badly worn due to tourist traffic. The Incas believed that the puma engraved on the rock represented the priesthood or the power of God.
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Lateral view
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte de Samaipata para niños
