DENVER, COLORADO.- For a thousand years the Tiwanaku ruled the Andes … then they disappeared. Mystery and culture connect in Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca at the Denver Art Museum through Sunday, January 23, 2005. The first comprehensive art exhibition ever to focus on the Tiwanaku civilization, it is comprised of well-preserved textiles, finely crafted ceramics, works of gold and silver, delicately carved wood objects and detailed stone sculptures that come from both public and private collections in Europe and North and South America. The beauty and cultural significance of these artworks provide a detailed and complete picture of elite life in Tiwanaku approximately 400 years prior to the Inca Empire. Thematically arranged, the six-gallery exhibition examines the cultural fabric of this civilization, from rulers and rituals to the spirit world and Tiwanaku’s cultural precursors and contemporary rivals, known as the Wari. Visitors will have the opportunity to view a short video that will introduce them to the Tiwanaku civilization. Tickets for the special exhibition, which include general Museum admission, will be issued for a specific day and are non-refundable. Ticket prices are $8.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors and students with ID, $4.50 for youth 13-18, and members and youth 12 and younger are free. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum starting October 9, 2004. Guided tours are also available for Tiwanaku each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m., through January 23, 2005. Each Saturday, a guided tour of the exhibition in Spanish begins at 1 p.m. Tours are 45 minutes long and are included in the purchase of an exhibition ticket.