SILLUSTANI

Ruins Of Sillustani

This archaeological site is located in the district of Atuncolla, 34Km. Of the city of Puno, on a peninsula on the shores of the lagoon of Umayo at 3840m.s.n.m. It is one of the largest necropolis in America and the most impressive in the World. The Chullpas are monumental buildings considered funerary monuments, some more than 12 meters high, built by family clans of royal lineage from Collas realms, destined to store their mortal remains. The way in which they were constructed constitutes a challenge to the laws of equilibrium, having a smaller diameter at the base than at the top. The system of construction, to raise the enormous stones towards the high parts, is based on the adosamiento of inclined planes like ramps. It emphasizes the denominated “Chullpa of the Lizard” of more than 12 meters of height, 7.20 of diameter in the inferior part and 7.60 in the part superior. On the way to Sillustani, before reaching the archaeological zone, is the historic village of Atuncolla that shows the colonial church of San Andres and a craft center.