Sat, January 12, 2008 - 10:33 AM
What about...
Mystery of the ancient civilizations that flourished in highlands
Machu Picchu, Tiwanaco, Monte Alban
Q&A
Q: What is the mystery?
A: The ancient civilizations in such countries as Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico flourished in highlands. Tiwanaco urban ruins in Bolivia are located on highlands at the altitude of four thousand meters. The capital of Inca, Cuzco, is also located at an altitude of three thousand meters, and the midair city, Machu Picchu, is at two and a half thousand meters. The Maya civilization, which flourished in Central America, also had its center of prosperity on highlands.
Yet, as an exception, there is the Olmec culture, which is considered to be older than the Maya. It seems that the center of this civilization was on lowlands of the Yucatan in Mexico at an altitude of only a hundred meters, but all the details have not yet been brought to light.
The reason why those civilizations flourished in South and Central America on highlands is not clear. Tiwanaco urban ruins in Bolivia are particularly mysterious existences. Although the big city had been established in a cold district higher than the top of Mt. Fuji, it seems that its agricultural production was successful as well. There was of course a highly advanced agricultural technique, and even in the present day, the trend of the Western countries is to learn such techniques. Moreover, the buildings in the city seemed to have built with megaliths, and there are ruins of megaliths remaining at places. Some scholars point out that the ruins here date back as far as sixteen thousand years...
So, I was not sure what aspect you were interested in but its a start...
