Sillustani

Friday, Oct. 19th, we flew from Cuzco to Juliaca.  At 12,546 feet above sea level, the air was noticeably thinner than Cuzco.

We were now on the altiplano, the high plains of Peru and Bolivia.  Here, instead of steep mountainsides and valleys, extends a vast landscape as far as the eye can see.

Halfway between Juliaca and Puno is Sillustani, a preInca burial site.  Situated on a bluff overlooking a lake are several towers and mounds that once contained the bodies of Colla nobility.

These towers, called Chullpas, have a beehive shaped inner dome surrounded by smoother stones making a cylindrical tower.  Many have been broken into by the Spanish and later grave robbers.

They have one small opening, always facing east toward the morning sunrise.  Chullpa means womb, and the dead were buried in a fetal position, ready to be reborn in the next step of their journey after death.

The Colla, like many ancient cultures, venerated their dead and often built these elaborate tombs.  Whole families were interred together as they passed on.

About five years ago, some work was being done around the base of the largest tower and many round circular pits like the one in front of me were uncovered.  21 pits, each containing the remains of two infants that had been ritually sacrificed.  As the expanding Inca Empire encroached upon Colla  territory, the defenders became increasingly desperate, turning from animal sacrifice to their own children in an effort to sway their gods to their cause.

Sillustani is on the shore of a small Andean lake, Lago Umayo.  The island is a sanctuary for orphaned and rejected vicuna.  The smallest of the llama family, they have the finest wool, even finer than alpaca wool, but their small size and lack of domestication make it extremely rare and expensive.  Back in the day, fabrics made of vicuna were reserved only for the reigning Inca and his family.

Leaving Sillustani, we stopped for a time at a small compound and took our picture with a guanaco, the fourth member of the camel family in South America.

There are two varieties of alpaca, huacaya and suri. Huacaya have thicker fleece.  Alpacas, like llamas, have been domesticated for thousands of years.

In many places in Peru, especially rural areas and mountain cities, two bulls are placed on the highest point of the house or gate.  They are a symbol of protection and good fortune the family.

The kitchen.  At these altitudes firewood is scarce and so much of the cooking is done with cattle and llama dung.

A sampling of high Andean food including various types of potatoes, yams, quinoa, and other grains.