THE CHULLPAS OF SILLUSTANI

HALF DAY TOUR

After having breakfast our group will leave the hotel to visit the ancient cemetery of Sillustani which became famous for its majestic Chullpas. These beautiful and artistically detailed funerary towers were built many centuries ago to house and preserve the mummies of the ancient lords of the Titicaca area. This pre-Inca and Inca site is located at an altitude of 3840masl, 35 km from the city of Puno. This half day tour will finish by returning to the hotel.

Sillustani is a pre-hispanic cemetery, located on a small peninsula over the lake Umayo. The tombs of Sillustani are called Chullpas and are funerary towers built between the 13th and 14th century AD for the local people living in the village of Qolla. The arrival of the colonial age made a sudden stop for the building of these funerary towers. Thanks to its unique location Sillustani offers a magnificent view over the lake Umayo.

Quite recently, in Novembre 2011, archeologists uncovered the corpses of 44 children who were thought to be sacrificed here between 600 and 700 years ago. The bodies were found in pairs and were arranged around a funerary tower. Each child was buried deep inside a basket and with a volcanic stone resting on the chest. Animals and food offerings were also found in the nearby area. Archeologists think that these children were sacrificed during the time when the Qolla culture, which dominated this area at that time, had a conflict with another local enemy tribe.

After visiting the Chullpas we will descend to the village of Chiquisca (1878 masl) where we will spend the night. During our descent we will see that the landscape is first dominated by ichu, typical high Andean pastures, and later by dry forests. As we walk down the landscape will become dry and the temperature rises. The mountain brooks and creeks compensate this dryness and make it possible for the vegetation to thrive and turn the surrounding area into an oasis. These water and temperature conditions allow the local farmers to cultivate certain crops like sugar cane and the production of alcohol from the plant, but of course just on a small, local level.