• Visit one of historic land monuments.lake titicaca image by TOBY WILLCOCKS from Fotolia.com
  
  If you are traveling to the South American country of Bolivia, you will find that it is surrounded by tropical rain forests to the east and high mountains to the west. Both sides of the landlocked country are surrounded by historic monuments that date back to the Incan Empire.
  
  

Lake Titicaca

• The 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America. Its history is rooted in ancient Incan culture. Incan mythology states that this is where the great god Viracocha appeared walking across the lake's deep blue waters. Twenty-five rivers run into this puma-shaped lake, which is split between the countries of Bolivia and Peru. If you're visiting the popular monument, you will be pleased to know that both the Hotel Colon Inn and a Inca Utama Hotel do offer quality accommodations at very reasonable rates. There are also many available in the town of Copacabana, right on the lake.
  
  

Potosi Silver Mines

• When the conquistadors of Spain found silver ore in the surrounding mountains of Potosi, they built silver mines. They used Indians and slaves to bring the riches from Cerro Rico mountain to the surface. Indians died by the thousands from exposure, brutal labor and heavy doses of mercury poisoning. The Silver Mines of Potosi is the city's main tourist attraction. The monument in a dark mine shaft that sits at an altitude of 13,000 feet. Because of this, miners often chew cocoa leaves, which is also recommended for those taking a tour through the Silver Mines. The leaves alleviate the dizziness and sickness that can come with being in such high altitudes.
  
  

Pumapunku

• Located in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, the Pumapunku is a large temple sitting near the south eastern shore of Lake Titicaca. About 12,600 feet on a plateau in the Andes, the T-shaped temple is a man-made platform built on an east-west axis. Legends dating back to A.D. 550 credit the Pumapunku pyramid and as a main ritual and spiritual center for the natives of Tiwanaku. Presently, you will only notice the dilapidated remains of this once beautiful temple because of its weathering. Yet the area remains a significant land monument of Bolivia due to its cultural importance and engineering.