Pachat'aqa

Pachat'aqa

Steps at the entrance to Pachat'aqa
Shown within Bolivia
Location	Bolivia, La Paz Department, Manco Kapac Province
Region	Andes
Coordinates	16°10′18.3″S69°5′6.7″W / 16.171750°S 69.085194°W / -16.171750; -69.085194

Pachataka (also spelled Pachataca or Pachat'aqa), commonly known as the Inca Gallows, ^[1] is an archaeological site in Bolivia, located near Lake Titicaca in the municipality of Copacabana, Manco Kapac Province, within the La Paz Department.

Pachataka is a pre-Inca astronomical observatory formed by a lintel made of two parallel stone blocks. It was used to determine the seasons, track lunar movements, and predict eclipses. ^[2] It is located at the summit of Mount Kesanani, approximately 600 meters south of the town of Copacabana.

In the Aymara language, “Pachataka” means “the place where time is measured.” The Spanish mistakenly named it the "Inca Gallows." ^[3]

According to mathematical and astronomical calculations conducted by the Institute of Cosmic Physics of Bolivia, the observatory dates approximately to 1764 B.C., during the era of the Chiripa culture. ^[3]

• 
  Copacabana and Lake Titicaca as seen from Pachat'aqa

See also

• Chinkana
• Iñaq Uyu
• Pilkokaina
• Copacabana
• Isla del Sol

References

1. "Isla del Sol". Viceministerio de Desarrollo de las Culturas. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
2. "The Inca Gallows". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
3. "Pachataka or "Inca Gallows"". Viceministerio de Desarrollo de las Culturas. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.