Sillustani – Full-Day Tour

The archaeological complex of Sillustani is located at a distance of 30 km north of the city of Puno and 40 km from Juliaca. The most recommended way to get to the site is to take a tour from the city of Puno.

Visitors can also go on their own by taking a public bus from Juliaca to Puno or vice versa, get off at the intersection to Sillustani, and from there board a taxi or motorcycle taxi that takes you to the archaeological site. The Opening Hours are from 8 am to 5 pm.

Sillustani comes from the Aymara language, which translated into English means “shape of one.”

Sullistani was situated close to Hatunqolla, the ancient capital of the Collas kingdom, the culture that built this amazing site. However, architectural influences can be recognized due to the Incas later occupying the area for some time.

Chullpas

The gigantic stone towers are called “Chullpas” and were built by Collas and Incas to bury their dead. Some have fallen apart, others are still standing like chess towers resisting the passage of time.

The “Sillustani Chullpas” were built all over the region of this high Andean plateau. About 90 Chullpas were identified and are spread out over an area of ​​150 hectares.

Many of them exceed 12 meters in height and have a greater diameter at the top than at the base. A challenge to the laws of gravity and balance and an outstanding detail that makes them unique on the American continent.

These strange mausoleums were built in an indecipherable age, although it is assumed that they were built in the 10th century. Moreover, evidence suggests that they mainly served as the tombs of the nobility of the Collas culture, thus sometimes referenced as being the eternal home of the “Children of the Sun”. The Collas dominated this region and added some architectural features to their tombs similar to those of the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha in Cusco and the fortress of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

With the arrival of the Spanish, some “Chullpa” were left half-built, like the one found in the Ayawasi or Pucullo which today forms part of the Sillustani Archaeological Complex.

Many of these sacred Chullpas reach approximately 12 meters in height and have an entrance always facing east that served for the deceased to communicate directly with the Sun God.

This entrance is quite small, so it is believed that the funerary bundle or mummy was first introduced to the vault and after that, it was closed. In Sillustani mainly the nobility, rulers, and priests were buried.

The upper part of the most modern Sillustani Chullpas, those that belonged to the Inca period, are adorned by large cornices. Moreover, some of the stones represent figures in low relief that mainly represent lizards and snakes.

In Sillustani you can see the stone constructions in the shape of an inverted cone and even some stones with twelve angles. This archaeological complex is generally more than 500 years old.

One Twelve-angled stone was used for the construction of one Chullpa that never was finished. It is assumed that this might have been due to a confrontation between some ethnic rivalries which caused the construction to be paralyzed. This assumption is supported by the findings of the skeletal remains of five adults and five children that were covered with Colla ceramics, as well as plates, glasses, work tools, food, and also animal remains at the foot of the Chullpa which is known as the lizard.

Sillustani is generally considered one of the most important archeological sites in Peru which is why our guide will give you a broad explanation of the archeological studies that were conducted at this site.