Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture

• Lack of a management plan for the site;
• Lack of coordinated conservation policies and interventions between the national government and the Municipality of Tiwanaku;
• Need for the designation of a national counterpart for the JFIT project and a site manager at the local level;
• Lack of governance.

Total amount granted: USD 870,000 for the project “Preservation and Conservation of Tiwanaku and the Akapana Pyramid” (UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust for World Heritage). Moratorium from March 2010 to May 2012.

On 31 January 2014, the State Party submitted a State of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/567/documents/. Progress is reported on the following:

• Conservation and management plan: an executive director has been appointed for the Research Centre, Archaeological, Anthropological and Management Tiwanaku (CIAAAT) who is expected to carry the development of these plans forward. Negotiations are currently in process to allocate required human and final resources for the development of both the conservation and the management plan, with the assistance of an international expert. A preliminary draft was submitted for review on the general criteria for preparation of both plans and ICOMOS has submitted its technical evaluation to assist the process. The process is expected to conclude in 2014 with the articulation of the plan with other planning tools.
• Management arrangements: the director for CIAAAT has been appointed and the board of directors has approved the management structure. No information is provided on whether resources have been allocated for the CIAAAT and approved staff to become fully operational.
• Buffer zone: the State Party reports that the management planning process should establish additional criteria for the establishment of the buffer zone, enlarging the currently protected polygonal of 100 yards from the protected areas. Provisions should also be made in the Urban Management Plan and the Municipality’s Land Use Plan to protect archaeological remains in the modern town and to control its sprawl.
• Planned projects and interventions: project proposals will be submitted for review upon approval by the board of directors of CIAAAT. However, information included in the Annexes of the report shows that the Autonomous Municipal Government of Tiwanaku carried out extensive interventions at southern sector of Puma Punku. These range from improvements to the drainage systems to clearing of vegetation to reconstruction of walls and new earthen renderings and wall capping. New signalization system for visitors has been set up. The Municipality also implemented a conservation project at the Akapana pyramid throughout 2013 which included waterproofing works, new earthen capping and renders on walls, and interventions for drainage systems. Work was also reported on the conservation of archaeological material deposits.

The measures implemented to improve coordinated work among the central and local governments, particularly the appointment of the director for the CIAAAT are well noted.  However, given the recent approval of the management structure, progress has been limited in establishing a fully operational system.  Extensive interventions have continued at the property without having a comprehensive conservation plan in place. It is not clear how the implemented actions respond to conservation assessments and priorities. A significant amount of work has been done on reconstruction and new renders and these interventions are not responsive to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property.

There is some concern that without a clear framework for action and a sound conservation policy in place, continuing with these extensive measures could erode the conditions of authenticity of the property and can potentially threaten its OUV. The need to ensure the stability of the physical fabric is recognized, but that clear limits and strategies for conservation and restoration need to be set under a conservation policy driven by the OUV of the property.  Conservation decision-making needs also to be based on the results from condition assessment and monitoring, and also in consideration to the evaluation of results from previous interventions, particularly on mortars, as was recommended by the Expert meeting.

Finally, an adequate buffer zone, responsive to protection requirements, needs to be established and that regulatory measures ought to be defined in a participatory and inclusive process to ensure their adoption by the local government and communities. This measure is essential to ensure that the conditions of integrity of the property are sustained.