![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/E0CE1CC5-27B1-4F44-8F3D-0AC221627384/ANJC8N.jpg)
Incan funerary towers chullpas of the Colla people on Lake Umayo near Puno Lake Titicaca Peru
Incan funerary towers chullpas of the Colla people on Lake Umayo near Puno Lake Titicaca Peru. Sillustani is a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo near Puno. The tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures called chullpas, are the vestiges of the Colla people, Aymara who were conquered by the Inca in the 1400s. The structures housed the remains of complete family groups, although they were probably limited to nobility. Many of the tombs have been dynamited by grave robbers, while others were left unfinished. The interior of a chullpa. Ancestor worship and kinship were integral parts of Aymara culture, and the chullpas were built to emphasize the connection between life and death. The insides of the tombs were shaped like a woman's uterus, and corpses were mummified in a fetal position to recreate their birth. Some of the tombs also have lizards carved into the stone. Because they could regrow their tails, lizards were considered a symbol of life. The only openings to the buildings face east, where it was believed the Sun was reborn by Mother Earth each day. The architecture of the site is often considered more complex than typical Incan architecture. In contrast with the Inca, who used stones of varying shapes, the Colla used even rectangular edges. While chullpas are not unique to Sillustani and are found across the Altiplano, the site is considered the best and most preserved example of them.
Size: 3475px × 5259px
Location: Sillustani- near Lake Titicaca, Peru (South America)
Photo credit: © Rfox9 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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