This ruins, built over 1,000 years ago by the Tiahuanacu people, are one of the most fascinating places to visit. After the decline of the Chavín civilization in northern Peru, the Andean regions were dominated by local urban cultures. In the Middle Horizon period (600-1000 AD), a new culture, the Huari-Tiahuanaco, dominated the region and enforced cultural conformity. The culture centered around Tiahuanaco which is located near Lake Titicaca.

The Huari-Tiahuanaco culture built massive architectural works with giant stones cut with extreme precision. Scholars believe that the architecture and the social and political structure of the Incas ultimately derive from Huari-Tiahuanaco.

After the decline of the Huari-Tiahuanaco culture, the northern area of Perú was dominated by the Chimmu empire during the Late Intermediate period (1000-1400 AD). The Chimmu produced many innovations in South American urban life: irrigation systems, canals, and highways, all of which would be adopted by the Incas when they ascended to regional dominance in the sixteenth century.