Tiwanaku is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important South American civilizations prior to the birth of the Inca Empire in Peru; it was the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years.
Tiwanaku er af lærde, specialiseret i Andes, anerkendt som en af de vigtigste sydamerikanske civilisationer før Inkariget; byen var den rituelle og administrative hovedstad i en stor statsmagt for rundt regnet femhundrede år.