Tour to Sillustani – Half day

Tour description:

Sillustani is located 34 km. from Puno city, on the esplanade of a peninsula surrounded by the waters of the lagoon Umayo. About 35 minutes of asphalted road trip, where you can see a series of impressive tombs belonging to the Kolla-culture (1200-1450) that developed in the northern part of the lagoon, in the locality known as Hatuncolla. The tombs have an inverted cone shape, and most of these have a very small entrance directed to the East, which allow communication of the dead with the Sun god. Sillustani was a sacred place where the ritual celebrations were held according to traditional beliefs the Kollas. It should be noted that the word Sillustani comes from the words sillus (nail) and llustani (slide), which would give the meaning of “slide nails”.

• What does CHULLPA mean? The name CHULLPAS is given to mausoleums in the form of towers. such as those of Sillustani. the protection that the external wall gave to the internal estructure, which included chambers and niches for the corpses is characteristic.
• How was the process of construction? The first stage of the work began by placing the initial row of stones of the protective wall then construct the funeral chamber to its desired height late, the rest of the rowa of stone of the outer wall were placed until the chambers were covered. After having placed the first row of stones ramps were built at the side of the Chullpa for moving the larger stones into place. Once the work was finished the ramps. Were removed and a process of finishing the stones began. This process used materials like wet sand and porous texture stone to abrade the stones to shape and smoothness.