- a polity in the Andean region that built big temples for religious festivals. - used to be considered an empire on the [[Incan]] model but this is probably false; it's more likely that they're a seasonally complex people with political influence but not control. pkm/crossReference this with [[The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber & David Wengrow]] - no single strong leadership position or centralized bureaucratic institutions, they had weak mechanisms of social coercion but did work together on big projects sometimes. - an area of expertise for [[Andrew Roddick]], who considers them a "hospitality state" > Collective effort was at the heart of Tiwanaku beliefs and practices. By strengthening social bonds, the people were better equipped to face their biggest challenges. The larger the get-together, the greater the promise of a successful growing season in the harsh environment. Collectivism became a cult, and it was the basis of the Tiwanaku civilisation as well as the temple city itself. > — via [BBC Summary](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p013qqb8) of a video featuring [[Jago Cooper]] see also: [[Tiwanaku_Origins_and_Early_Development_T.pdf]]