Island of the Sun: 5,500 Years of Human Occupation Revealed by Underwater Archaeology
Research at the Ch'uxuqullu site on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca (Bolivia) revealed that human beings inhabited the island from around 3500 BCE — centuries earlier than previously estimated. The presence of obsidian, quartz, and flint from distant sources confirms that these early inhabitants navigated the lake in watercraft and took part in long-distance trade networks. Lake Titicaca, regarded as the cradle of Andean civilization and the birthplace of the creator god Viracocha, holds beneath its waters dozens of submerged sites with ritual offerings, temples, and structures from the Tiwanaku civilization.






