Chullpas of Sillustani

Sillustani is a funerary complex that houses a series of impressive tombs belonging to the Colla culture (1200–1450), which developed in the northern part of the Lake Umayo peninsula, in the locality known as Hatuncolla, 33 km from Puno. The tombs, called chullpas, are shaped like inverted truncated cones. These structures are also found in smaller numbers in several other locations on the high plateau, such as Acora and Ilave.

Before being placed in the  Chullpa , the corpse was mummified in the fetal position. Along with the mummy were their belongings, in some cases gold and silver objects, ceramic utensils, and food, since beliefs held that after death they would be resurrected in another place where they would eat and drink as they wished, just as they had before they died.

Different types of burials can be seen, from the most rustic, pre-Inca, to the most sophisticated mausoleums, with stones of many angles perfectly fitted into the exterior.