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One of the visited Tourist Attractions in and around Puno is Sillustani. It is a pre-Incan burial ground located on the shores of Lake Umayo near Puno. You can reach this ancient site from Puno easily. Puno is well connected by air, road and water. The Sillustani is located 35 miles from the city of Puno. The burial site is 13,500 feet above sea level. The site is 34 kilometers north of Puno and takes 35 minutes to reach by car.
The Sillustani burial ground has tower like structures called chullpas. These are burial towers and are the relics of the Colla people, the Aymara. The Aymara people were conquered by the Inca's in the 1400's. The tower like structures contains the remains of the family groups mainly of the nobility.
In Aymara culture ancestor worship was an important part of life. The chullpas were constructed to highlight the connection between life and death. The tombs of the Sillustani are shaped in the form of a woman's womb. The dead bodies were mummified in a position of a fetus to recreate birth. Many of the tombs have lizards carved into it as they were considered a symbol of life.
The Sillustani Tombs had opening facing the east. The Aymara believed that the sun was reborn by Mother Earth each day. Some of the towers are 12 meters high and unique in their shape. The towers have thin bases and wide tops. Just close to the Sillustani site is a museum which features the Colla, Tiahuanuaco, and Inca cultures.
For further reference on Sillustani, kindly check travel.mapsofworld.com.
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