Ponce Monolith, Andesite monolith in Kalasasaya, Tiwanaku, Bolivia

The Ponce Monolith is a 3-metre-tall anthropomorphic stele carved from a single block of andesite, standing in the Kalasasaya temple at Tiwanaku. Its blocky head wears a flat-topped headband, and its bent arms rest large rectangular hands on the chest. In the left hand it holds a qiru vessel, in the right a snuff tray; the torso is covered in shallow reliefs of geometric and zoomorphic motifs.

Spanish colonizers marked the Ponce Monolith with a Cruz del Carmen cross on its right upper arm and buried it, probably after 1572, when Tiwanaku's main steles were ceremonially interred. It lay buried until 1957, when a team led by Bolivian archaeologist Carlos Ponce Sanginés, after whom it is named, found it intact and in situ in Kalasasaya. On 24 February 2021 Christian vandals sprayed olive oil on it, the Sun Gate and the Monk Monolith.

The carvings on the stone show religious symbols and patterns that reflect the beliefs of ancient Andean people who lived here. These designs tell us about the roles people held in society and which objects they considered sacred.

The stone sits at an elevation of about 3,870 meters and is accessible to visitors within the UNESCO World Heritage site. The air is thin at this height, so travelers should walk slowly and take time to adjust to the altitude.

The monolith holds a qiru, a Tiwanaku drinking vessel, in its left hand and a snuff tray in its right. Archaeologist William H. Isbell read these objects not as royal insignia but as shamanic symbols, making the figure appear as a host offering drinks and drugs.