The Gate of the Sun is a monolithic gateway carved from a single block of andesite (c. 700–900 AD). The central figure is Viracocha (or an associated deity) holding staffs with condor heads — a standard Tiwanaku iconographic motif. The carved calendar frieze has been interpreted by various scholars as tracking lunar, solar, and agricultural cycles. The gateway was found displaced and cracked by early 20th-century archaeologists, likely toppled during an earthquake.