At the present time, not only do the majority of sites put forward as the site of Atlantis not conform to the geographic description given by Plato, they are virtually the opposite of the description given by Plato.

The previous Atlantis Milos conference put forward a list of 24 attributes it considered appropriate for the location of Atlantis.

Of these attributes, it can be readily established that the Bolivian Altiplano conforms to at least 20 and has many more not listed by the conference.

Returning to the points put forward at the previous conference, I will simply add the answers to the definitions of the conference, omitting four paragraphs considered irrelevant and adding additional relevant attributes within the constraints of the size of the essay.

1.”The Metropolis of Atlantis should have been located where an island used to be and where parts of it may still exist.” Yes, at Pampa Aullagas on the Bolivian Altiplano, a volcanic island today on dry land due to climate change and drying up of the nearby lake or inland sea.

2. “The Metropolis of Atlantis should have had a most distinct geomorphology composed of alternating concentric rings of land and water.” Yes, at Pampa Aullagas there still exist remains of concentric rings of land and channels which previously held water.

3. “The Atlantis should have been located outside the Pillars of Hercules.” Yes, it is outside or “opposite” (Lee’s translation) the Pillars of Hercules.

4. “The Metropolis of Atlantis was greater than Libya and Anatolia and Middle East and Sinai (combined).” Yes, the continent of Atlantis is South America which is a vast continent.

5. “Atlantis must have sheltered a literate population with metallurgical and navigational skills.” Yes, the pre-Columbian peoples possessed metallurgical skills with gold and gold alloys such as Plato’s “orichalcum” known in the Andes as “tumbaga” an alloy of gold and copper. They also used rafts navigated with retractable daggerboards and a recording device made of knotted cords. Ceramics covered in “proto-sumerian” writing have also been found.

6. “The Metropolis of Atlantis should have been routinely reachable from Athens by sea.” Traces of coca and tobacco have been found in Egyptian mummies and coca only comes from the Andes. 

7. “The Metropolis of Atlantis should have sunk entirely or partly below the water.” Yes, at Pampa Aullagas the volcano has been sunk by earthquakes and large parts are still covered in fossilised lake sediments from the times it was beneath the nearby inland sea.

8. “The Metropolis of Atlantis was destroyed 9000 Egyptian years before the 6th century B.C.” at that time the area was covered by the inland sea “lake Tauca”.

9. “The part of Atlantis was 50 stadia (7,5 km) from the city.” yes, Pampa Aullagas is 50 stadia from the inland sea.

10. “Atlantis had a high population density” Yes, it had a population density of millions before the conquest.

11. “The region of Atlantis involved the sacrifice of bulls.” Yes, the animals were actually llamas and the ritual of sacrifice continues to this day. Plato tells us he substituted Greek names for the originals “to make it more agreeable for his readers”.

12. “The destruction of Atlantis was accompanied by an earthquake.” Yes, the volcano has been sunk by earthquakes.

13. “After the destruction of Atlantis, the passage of ships was blocked.” Yes, the nearby lake is now too shallow for modern navigation

                       
14. “Elephants were present in Atlantis.” Yes, skeletons of mastodons have been found nearby.

15. “No physically or geologically impossible processes were involved in the destruction of Atlantis.” The area is periodically subject to alternating drought and flooding and destruction by earthquakes.

16. “Hot and cold springs, with mineral deposits, were present in Atlantis.” Yes, at Pampa Aullagas.

17. “Atlantis lay on a coastal plain 2000 X 3000 stadia surrounded by mountains falling into the sea.” Yes, Pampa Aullagas is in the centre of the level rectangular plain which measures 3,000 x 2,000 Atlantean stades of 300ft (93metres) and it is surrounded by mountains which Plato said “rose sheer out of the sea to a great height.” On the western side they fall into the sea, namely the Pacific Ocean.

18. “The rocks in Atlantis were of various colors: black, white, and red.” Yes, at Pampa Aullagas, easy to verify.

19. “There were canals for irrigation in Atlantis.” Yes, as can be seen on high resolution satellite images.

20. “Every 5th and 6th year, they sacrificed bulls.” llama sacrifice is traditional on the Altiplano.

Additionally other unique features include:

21. “the continent was the way to other islands and the continent beyond” which means Asia

22. “the plain was in the centre of the island mid-way along it’s longest side” (Lee’s translaton)

23. “the plain was high above the level of the sea” meaning the Pacific ocean

24. “the plain was a “long elongated rectangle”. Describes the  Altiplano perfectly

25.  “the plain had a smooth and level surface”

26.  “they raised two crops per year” due to a system of raised fields with water channels

27. “there were mines of orichalcum” one of these is at Urukilla just south of Pampa Aullagas

28. “gold” at La Joya at the northern end of the lake

29. “silver” at Potosi to the east

30. “tin also at Potosi

31. “the wealth they possessed was so great that the like will never easily be seen again” it ultimately provided the motivation for the Spanish conquest and destruction of the native cultures.

32. “five pairs of twin sons” also occurs in Inca legend

33.  A Bolivian legend tells of the destruction of a city submerged in the sea (lake) 

34. “Atl” and “Antis” are words of South American origin meaning “water” and “copper” respectively.

Submitted by J.M.Allen to Atlantis Conference Athens on 12th January 2008

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