A ''chullpa'' is an ancient

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

funerary tower originally constructed for a noble person or noble family. ''Chullpas'' are found across the

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

and Bolivia. The tallest are about high. The tombs at

Sillustani Sillustani is a pre-Inca cemetery on the shores of Lake Umayo near Puno in Peru. The tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures called chullpas, are the vestiges of the Qulla people, who are Aymara conquered by the Inca Empir ...

are most famous. Recent research has focused on the connection between ''chullpas'' and the ritual pathways etched into the landscape around

Nevado Sajama Nevado Sajama (; ) is an extinct stratovolcano and the highest peak in Bolivia. The mountain is located in Sajama Province, in Oruro Department. It is situated in Sajama National Park and is a composite volcano consisting of a stratovolcano on t ...

, as well as possible patterns within ''chullpa'' sites.

Description

Corpses in each tomb were typically placed in a fetal position along with some of their belongings, including clothing and common equipment. In virtually all cases, the only opening to the tomb faces the rising

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

in the east. The construction of the ''chullpa'' varied with ethnic group: in general, those of the north Altiplano are circular and constructed with stone, while those of the south are rectangular and constructed with adobe. Some are unadorned, while others have intricate carvings. At Sillustani, many of the ''chullpas'' have lizards, which were considered a symbol of life because they could regenerate their tails, carved into the stone.

Similar tombs

It is possible that ''chullpas'' were also used by the

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

following their conquest of the Aymara. Very similar stone constructions on

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...

known as ''tupa'' have sometimes been suspected to be closely related to chullpas.Heyderdahl, Thor. ''Easter Island – The Mystery Solved''. Random House New York 1989.

References

{{coord missing, Peru Tombs Mausoleums Aymara people Tombs in Bolivia Tombs in Peru

Description

Similar tombs

See also

References