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Helsby & Co. 
Sculptured Monolith at Tia Huanaco, Bolivia 
1863, May 
  
Coloured engraving 
Google Books 
 
LL/34461 
  
Published in "The Pre-Incarial Ruins of Tia Huanaco, in Bolivia, Formerly Upper Peru" by Wm. Bollaekt, F.B.G.S. in "The Intellectual Observer", May 1863
 
The broken sculptured monolith portal is N.E. of the seats of justice. Thanks to Messrs. Helsby, we have now a photograph of this most interesting monument. (See drawing.) In the photograph the portal is seen broken into two unequal portions and partially buried in the ground. Mr. Pentland informs me that it has sunk much (or rather earth has collected round its base) since he saw it in 1834; he also tells me attempts have been made to break it up for mill-stones. It would appear that it stood on its own solid foundation. D'Orbigny gives the following dimensions for this portal: Above the ground it is 10 feet; in width, 13 feet 3 inches; of one block of hard trachytic rock; the doorway 6 feet high. The eastern face has three lines of sculptured figures in alto-relief of men, and figures of men with bird's heads; each line has sixteen figures, and in the centre a larger sculptured human figure; the west face has no sculptures. The two niches below (Castelnau calls them " cavites transversales) appear to have had doors with copper hinges. D'Orbigny thinks the figures with human heads denote kings, those with the condors' heads " savage chiefs," or the condors may be considered as the sun's messengers, or attendants on the kings. The figures with human and bird's heads look towards the principal central figure. All the figures are highly ornamented with heads of birds; those with heads of men have fourteen heads of birds, and three more on the staff; the bird-headed figures have seventeen heads of birds, and three on the staff. 
 

 
  
 
  
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