Aboard "Ship" on Lago Umayo
From the stone quay, we hiked up to the plateau.
At over 12,000′, it was a breath-taking climb!Sillustani is known for its variety of funerary structures built from adobe, uncut stones, and finely-cut stone dating from both pre-Inca and Inca times. Groups of structures are scattered over the landscape.
A Group of Pre-Inca Chulpas at Sillustani
Here are a couple of close-ups of the pre-Inca chullpas. Since many of the structure had been desecrated by grave robbers, it wasn’t clear to me just how much restoration work had been done on them, and if there truly was as much variation in style and construction as these photos might indicate. However, all were built of stone and mortar,
Two variations of pre-Inca chulpas
The stonework is different on this one.
whereas those built after the Inca conquered the area used no mortar. Their stones were shaped to fit together, and even without mortar, some had withstood tremors and destructive vandalism.
The Lizard Chullpa on Sillustani
Scholars believe the local elites learned how to work the stone from their Inca conquerors and modified their customary style to be more in tune with their conquerors.
The Lizard
Note how the stones are rectangularly faced and how the structure has a greater diameter at the top than at the bottom. All the shaping and polishing was accomplished without stone tools. The lizard chullpa is 39 feet tall with a diameter of 16 feet; its walls are five feet thick.
Backside of the Lizard Chullpa on Sillustani
It wasn’t clear why this chullpa had been partially reconstructed.
This one appears unfinished as the protuberances were used to support the ramps and scaffolding needed to raise the stones and assemble the structure. Once the structure was completed, they were removed and the stone faces polished.
Chullpas were much like our family mausoleums. Family members were added when they died.