Put this Peruvian city on your South American itinerary

Arches overlooking the city of Arequipa, Pery

We arrived in Arequipa in southern Peru and were met at the airport by our guide Beatrice, native of the city, and driver Roberto. We soon saw why Peru’s second largest city is called “white city.” Many buildings (homes, palaces, churches, convents) were built with sillar, white volcanic rock found in abundance in the area. As the historic center, it contains many colonial-era buildings, primarily churches and convents, built during the 400-years of Spanish domination from 1452 through the 1800s. 

Volcanoes nearby

Arequipa means “behind the mountains,” an apt name since the city is located at the foot of volcano Misti, a city icon. It’s near the Valley of the Volcanoes, which contains more than 80, some still active. In fact, the topography is very dry and rocky, resembling what I think the moon’s surface must look like.

Mountains and volcanoes surround Arequipa.

There’s great variety in the climate, geology, and ecology. Although it’s located in the middle of the Peruvian desert at 7800 feet, ash from volcanoes makes it a fertile agriculture center for crops like onions, garlic, and grains. 

Arequipa encompasses centuries of history of the Peruvian Highlands. Its archeological heritage, Inca legacy, and older cultures have left an indelible mark on culture, customs, art, and the city’s development. Industries include alpaca wool factories, cement factories, and copper mines.

White volcanic rock used for buildings

Convent reveals city’s history

Santa Catalina Convent, founded in 1579, is one of Arequipa’s most visited sights. Beautiful chapels, squares, and streets that retain original styles and vibrant colors of orange, blue, and red make this a must-see. Calle Sevilla, the oldest and longest street, retains the look of Arequipa from the 16^th century, when the convent was essentially an entire city.

Carmen, our guide, explained that the Dominican convent was populated by many second daughters, who were expected to become nuns while oldest daughters married. The nuns lived on one side of the wall, and the public (town) was on the other side. They took vows for silence, work, and prayer, coming at age 12 and training till age 16.

There were 80 different apartments; wealthier nuns had better places, and poorer nuns might be their servants trying to work off their dowry. In addition to other duties, nuns embroidered robes and other finery for priests.

Santa Catalina Convent 

Tiles on the floor of the convent were in the original Santa Catalina church. Faith-based artwork from the 18^th century was restored in 2006, and 100 paintings are displayed in the art gallery. Today entrance fees go to the nuns for upkeep of the property, which is now a museum and tourist attraction. The nearby square is a busy commercial area where arches along the streets add charm to the trees, paths, and fountain in Plaza de Armas.

Tourism is growing

We visited the main square in Arequipa where arches, each decorated with quotes from important people, look over the city.  The first cathedral in the region is here, indicating an important transition from Inca to Catholic religion. The ancient Grau Bridge is a famous landmark over the Chile River. Peru just became a democracy 30 years ago, but with more than a million people living in the country, tourism is actively pursued.

A fun fact: It’s cheaper to take a taxi than to drive around the city, so there’s plenty of business for its 48,000 taxis.

Exterior of Hotel Casa Andina in Arequipa

While in Arequipa, we stayed at Hotel Casa Andina Private Collection, a restored colonial-era house with original stone flooring. Rooms in the old section have stone walls two feet thick, small windows, alpaca blanket, 10-light chandelier, and flat-screen television.  A new part of the hotel was built behind the former Spanish mansion.  Wicker sofas and chairs invite guests to lounge in an open sitting area. A full buffet breakfast was served outdoors by the main courtyard of this charming hotel located within walking distance of many attractions.

 Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Native folk art and crafts of Peru

Peru is known for its world-class folk art.

From pre-Inca times to the present day, handmade arts and crafts have provided a visual expression of Peruvian culture. The nation’s skilled artisans have forged one of the most highly developed and diverse folk art traditions in the world, working in a variety of mediums and styles.

Pre-Hispanic designs and symbols often fused with art forms from colonial Spain in works of art as beautiful as they are utilitarian. From quirky masks to complex woven textiles, from hand-painted pottery to intricately carved gourds, from hand-crafted instruments to elaborate wood carvings, Peru’s distinctive handicrafts are an excellent way to bring home an authentic reminder of the country’s vibrant traditions and culture.

This is the first of a two-part story about different kinds of Peruvian handmade crafts.

 Woven Textiles

Hand-woven textiles are an ancient art.

Beautiful hand-woven textiles are among Peru’s most famous native crafts. They’re also among the most ancient: The oldest fabrics discovered in the country date to about 10,000 B.C. Using traditional backstrap or horizontal ground looms just like their ancestors, artisans today weave fibers of prized alpaca and vicuña wool, as well as cotton and linen, into colorful designs that reflect local customs and motifs. Bold, bright designs range from intricate geometric patterns to revered native animals, which show up in yards of fabric that you can buy as tablecloths, table runners, placemats, rugs, tapestries, and blankets.

Alpaca Wool

Highlands people tend their llama flocks.

Hardly anyone leaves Peru without buying something made of alpaca wool such as sweaters, hats, tote bags, super-soft scarves, and traditional ponchos and blankets. After all, these Andean camelids have been a key part of Peruvian life for centuries. Lightweight, breathable, and hypoallergenic, alpaca is insulating and non-itchy. Baby alpaca items, made from the fleece of the first shearing, is supremely soft. Rarer and softer still — with a price tag to match — is the ultrafine wool of wild vicuñas, from which alpacas are descended.

Larry bought an alpaca sweater, and I 
have a soft creamy vest.

But beware: While many products are advertised as 100% baby alpaca, chances are they’re blends of alpaca wool or even synthetic acrylic fibers. If you want to guarantee the real thing, shop at national brands such as Kuna or Sol Alpaca stores where the prices will match the quality. Or buy alpaca in Cusco at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, a non-profit collective of hundreds of weavers, or in Arequipa, a thriving textile center.

Embroidery

Colorful yarns are used in hand embroidery on garments and home accents. 

Another millennia-old fabric tradition is hand embroidery, which often served ceremonial purposes in ancient times. Today, it reflects the cultural identity of each region or village, which has its own unique style. You’ll find vibrant, patterned embroidery on local women’s skirts, handbags, men’s vests, jackets, and other traditional garments. Pillowcases with brightly colored floral accents or elaborate wall hangings stitched with scenes from daily life add a pop of color to your home. Known as bordados, these hand-dyed, alpaca-yarn narratives are embroidered on a wool cloth background.

Appliqué Fabric

I have this amazing wall hanging that depicts scenes from 
daily lives of people living on the floating islands of Uros.

Gorgeous wall hangings of another sort are Peru’s distinctive quilted appliqués on cotton fabric called arpilleras (meaning "sackcloth" or "burlap"). These hand-stitched, three-dimensional patchwork panels typically depict pastoral scenes of daily life, such as villages, markets, landscapes, or carnivals. Two biblical themes, Noah’s ark — with requisite llamas— and nativity scenes are also popular. The women who make these elaborate tapestries attach scraps of fabric including vinyl, felt, or straw fibers to the cloth background to tell the stories of their lives.

Wood Carvings

I love this colorful puzzle from Peru.

From religious figurines and masks to portable altars and toys, Peru has a rich wood-carving tradition derived from Spanish religious sculptures and carved furniture made for colonial churches and convents. In Cusco, expert sculptors carve classical religious figures such as the infant Jesus, angels, and Virgins that are often gold-leafed, as well as kings, magicians, dancers, and soldiers. In the town of Molinos, near Huancayo, artisans make a variety of wooden objects from kitchen utensils and toys, painted animals, and mythical beasts. In folklore-rich towns like Paucartambo in the Cusco region and Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, elaborate carved and painted masks of fanciful creatures and stylized characters are produced for popular festival days.

Retablos

The most remarkable of Peru’s wooden folk art are its unique brightly painted retablos, or small portable altars. Originally used by Spanish priests to teach indigenous people about the Bible, these colorful diorama-like boxes depict everything from intricate religious or historical scenes to simple scenes of everyday life in the Andes. Originating in Ayacucho, the boxes are elaborately hand-painted with typical Ayacucho flower designs adorning their hinged flaps. Inside the boxes, artists fill multiple levels with hand-carved figurines of people, highland animals, and both Christian saints and pre-Columbian gods, a unique blend of religious traditions. Typically, the upper level symbolizes heaven with saints, sacred Andean animals, or nativity scenes, while the lower level portrays life on earth, such as a hat shop, a cantina, or a musical group.

Information courtesy of Angela Tuell, Percepture, atuell@percepture.com

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier and free sources.

 

Majestic condors bring visitors to Peru's Colca Canyon

Condors with a wing span up to 10 feet glide through the mountain pass from both sides of Colca Canyon in the Highlands of Peru. We watch these gigantic birds put on a spectacular show from our perch on a rock wall rising up from the canyon.

Only later do we learn some interesting facts: Condors can live up to 150 years and, most surprisingly, they eat only dead animals, scavenging wherever they can.

We’re at a spot called Cruz del Condor or Condor’s Cross, a natural lookout on the edge of the canyon. At an elevation of 10,784 feet, it is an excellent place to watch condors soar gracefully on rising thermals formed when warm currents rise from the canyon floor. 

Looking down into the canyon

No one can predict exactly when or how many condors may perform their aerial show on any given day, but the largest crowds come to view the spectacle early in the morning when the majestic birds are hunting for food.

The valley offers stunning views of the Andean landscape. It’s a popular location for hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers, but what entices most people to this region is the opportunity to see the powerful Andean condors in flight.

We also marvel because it’s where the mighty Amazon River begins. Colca River starts high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and flows to the Pacific Ocean in stages, forming a scenic canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.  Snow-melt from the 16,800-foot high volcano Mismi is a distant source of the Amazon.

Terrace farming originated by the Incas is still practiced today.

Terraces built by Inca and pre-Inca cultures are still cultivated along the canyon walls, and the name Colca refers to small granaries built into the cliffs that were used as storage for potatoes, quinoa, and other crops grown on the terraces.

Walking along the canyon rim.

We take a short hike along the canyon’s rim. Looking at down into the valley and across the canyon we spot several backpackers trekking on the rugged, often barren trails.

This lupine resembles
our Texas bluebonnet.

But we walk easily among wildflowers on our overlook trail before returning to Colca Lodge, our hotel oasis where natural hot springs welcome us back to civility.

Peru is an increasingly popular destination for U.S. travelers.

The road to Cruz del Condor in Peru.

With bustling cities like Lima and  Arequipa, historic attractions such as Cusco and Machu Picchu, a varied geology that includes volcanoes and the Andes Mountain, native cultures of the Highlands region, an expanding culinary scene, and the enormous Amazon River, Peru is one of our favorite destinations in South America.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

 

Driving through Peru highlands to Colca Canyon

Jarenta plant is 100 years old
and hard as a rock.

As we continue our day-long drive to Colca Canyon in southern Peru, we ascend higher than 18,000 feet—and the effects of lower oxygen levels are definitely taking effect. When I complain of a headache, our local guide Bernice checks my palms to see of my blood vessels are turning dark. Reassured that this will pass (it does as soon as we start our descent), she points out flora including the jarenta plant, an extremely hard, large green plant resembling a rock. This plant is about 100 years old, growing very slowly in the harsh climate of this high altitude.

We pass the “under rocks,” the oldest rocks in the Andes, as well as the caldera of a volcano. Eventually we start descending, driving on a series of “switchback” roads. There’s a fair amount of traffic as we approach Chivay, largest town in the province, on the upper Colca River at the bottom of the canyon.



The land is terraced in order to grow crops on the sloping hills.

In the 15^th century, long before a group of Polish rafters descended to the river on the canyon floor in 1981 bringing it to the world’s attention, the Inca and pre-Inca cultures had developed the area agriculturally with an incredibly complex network of irrigation channels and terraces. These agricultural terraces cover the hillsides even today. Every three to four levels create different micro-climates with specific characteristics for growing crops.  The same terraces are still cultivated on this rugged terrain by the Incas just as their ancestors did.



The market in Chivay provides goods and services for local people.

We stop to walk through the Chivay market, a sort of supermarket or outdoor mall. Held once or twice a week, people come to buy everything from fresh produce to cooking oil, dish soap, brooms, clothes and shoes---even to get a haircut. The women are dressed in colorful skirts, blouses, and jackets—it looks ceremonial, but it’s what they wear every day.  We also take a peek in the church, since that’s the most important building in any of the Highland communities. Soon we’re on our way to beautiful, but remote, Colca Lodge, Spa & Hot Springs where we’ll spend two nights.  

Majestic Andean condors ride the thermals between the canyon walls.

The next morning we rise early and drive to Colca Canyon where we hope to see gigantic Andean condors soaring on the thermal air masses that develop between the 10,000-high canyon walls. Almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, Colca Canyon’s grandeur comes from rock towers that go on for miles, thermal springs, and giant birds like the condors sailing overhead.



We hiked along the rim of the canyon.

Larry soothes his muscles in
one of the hot springs at
Colca Canyon Lodge and Spa.

With each excursion we appreciate the area’s charm and uniqueness even more: Alpacas, llamas and herds of wild vicuñas populate the terrain, while Incan ruins, quaint Franciscan churches and small indigenous towns perched on canyon rims reveal the history of Peru. We spy overnight hikers on a ledge on the opposite canyon wall but are grateful that we can return to our lodge after our own modest hike and a relaxing soak in the hot springs there.

 Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

From Arequipa to Colca Canyon and the Highlands of Peru

Located in the southern part of Peru, Colca Canyon has become one of the country’s top adventure destinations. Day trips from Arequipa are the most popular way to see the canyons, and there are hundreds to choose from. Adventure and trekking tours are a big draw, but we’re headed to the Highlands of Peru to experience local culture, high-quality handicrafts, and spectacular .mountain and canyon scenery.

Tending to llamas in a remote area of Peru

We head towards Chivay, 100 miles from Arequipa, and Colca Canyon beyond that. We stop at a small corral with alpacas and llamas sporting colored ribbons in their ears that identify them according to age. We give candy to the young boy who tends the animals with his mother. In this isolated region, some children travel two hours each way to attend school, and tourists are rarely seen.

The Trans Oceanic Road that we drive on part of the day was built more than 20 years ago and runs from the Pacific to Atlantic Oceans. The landscape is mostly desert with only a few patches of green where onions and garlic are growing. Mountains in the background are composed of dirt and white volcanic ash that creates a haze drifting the air. Eventually we see more cacti and yellow grass that’s used to make roofs, sandals, rope, and bridges by the indigenous people.

The Trans Oceanic Highway travels through barren landscapes
and into the mountains of Peru.

Franklin, our driver, sets in for a long ride on this paved but desolate road with no place for comfort stops. Vicunas roam in the national park we pass through. These delicate tan and white animals, wild relatives of llamas and alpacas, have wool that is 25 times finer than human hair and much prized for weaving expensive garments. No wonder they are a protected species.


Vicunas graze in the shadow of majestic mountains.

As we approach higher elevations (now 12,300 feet) Beatrice, our guide, shows us how to roll up coca leaves and place them between teeth and cheek—where it stays for the next couple of hours. Sipping water makes our own coca tea, intended to counter effects of the high elevation (not a cure, by any means!).


Locals offer a variety of goods for sale at roadside stops.

In the distance we see several volcanoes that were visible from Arequipa: Misti, Chachani, and Pichupichu. Mountains, lakes, and prairie landscapes flit by during our long day’s journey into the Highlands. While the terrain seems rather unfriendly, the native people are intrigued by U.S. visitors. This is not a tourist highway, so North Americans are not a common sight, especially at the higher elevations.

Along the way we encounter local vendors with handmade goods for purchase spread out on tables. Beautiful textiles and functional clothing items, as well as trinkets and souvenirs, are a modest means of supplementing their meager farming incomes. We stop for lunch and then continue our ascent into the mountains.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Ancient Spanish mansion is now luxurious Casa Andina in Arequipa, Peru

If you like to travel off the beaten path, you’ll find the High Plateau region of southern Peru to be worth a journey. Just because you’ve chosen to explore lesser visited regions doesn’t mean you’ll have to “rough it.” New highways provide comfortable driving, and superior hotels are available in cities of the Altiplano. (One caution: When traveling in high altitudes take precautions if you’re susceptible to altitude sickness. If you do have symptoms, don’t hesitate to ask for oxygen; it’s as common as a coffee pot in the lobby.)



View from the deck at Casa Andina in Arequipa, Peru

The city of Arequipa, in southern Peru, is the historic center of the Highlands Region, and it provides a banquet of cultural sites and natural beauty. Its Inca legacy is overshadowed by remnants of the Spanish colonial period such as the renovated house that has become the foundation for Casa Andina.  This Spanish mansion, named a National Historic Monument, has been expanded into a luxury hotel in the heart of town. It’s as much museum as hotel in this traditionally elegant city.


Exterior of Casa Andina retains the Spanish architecture.

After a restoration project that rescued the mansion from a century of neglect, the hotel opened in 2008 with five large suites containing original two-foot thick stone walls.  One window in our suite opened to small private courtyard that was planted with tall, slender cacti. A pull string on another window allowed us to bring in light and air as needed. Luxury touches included an alpaca blanket, 10-light chandelier, and flat-screen television.  High vaulted ceilings, original frescoes, and an original herringbone walkway of rocks embedded in stone maintain the colonial character.


Interior courtyard of Casa Andina has comfortable areas for socializing.

A modern two-story section with 36 additional rooms overlooks an open air sitting area made comfortable with cushioned wicker sofas and chairs. From the deck at Casa Andina, you’ll have great views of the volcano Misti and other volcanoes that surround the city.



One courtyard of the Santa Catalina Convent

Casa Andina is surprisingly quiet, especially since it’s just around the corner from the renowned 16^th century Santa Catalina Convent (heavily visited by tourists) and a few blocks from the main square. A full buffet breakfast is served at the main courtyard of this historic, yet comfortable, accommodation. 



Peruvian cuisine is attracting international attention these days.

A short walk from the hotel takes you to a hive of activity in town and shopping opportunities. Be sure to tour the convent and monastery to hear remarkable stories about how the nuns lived there centuries ago and their modern day lives of religious service. For Peruvian culinary specialties, dine beside the beautiful gardens of Sol de Mayo, a favorite restaurant of locals and tourists for more than a century.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

 

Cruising the mighty Amazon River in Peru

“I never thought I’d be cold in the Amazon,” my husband quips as he buttons up his long-sleeved shirt. It’s August, but cool breezes keep us comfortable as our guide motors the skiff we’re riding in towards a tributary of the Amazon River. The weather is just one of the pleasant surprises during our week-long adventure with tour company International Expeditions.

Clear reflections on an Amazon tributary

We’re on an early morning excursion traveling up river from where our floating hotel, on the 24-passenger La Amatista, is anchored. Along with 13 other people and two guides, my husband and I will travel 65 miles this day deep into the protected Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the largest protected wetland reserve in the world.

La Amatista, our ship, at sunset

The headwaters of the Amazon originate from glaciers high in the Andes Mountains, and the section through which we’ll travel is entirely in Peru. From there, the river flows eastward for more than 4,000 miles before spreading across miles and surging into the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. Not just one river, the Amazon includes more than 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are over 1,000 miles long. The immensity of this river system, largest in the world, is truly hard to comprehend.

Riberenos fishing in the Amazon

During our first full day on the river our ship splits off from the main channel to a course on one of the largest tributaries, the 300-mile Ucayali River. From there, we board the skiff which cuts cleanly through chocolate-colored water, passing riberenos--river people--trolling from handmade canoes and farming rice on muddy river ledges. Fishermen on flat rafts float down river to Iquitos, a six-day journey, with net enclosures full of catfish they will sell in the city.

Birds including parrots make their home in the rainforest.

We soon discover why this is a bird-watchers paradise. Thousands of species live in the protected canopy of the rain forest. Several people on our tour really know their stuff and identify dozens of birds including snowy egrets, puffins, king birds, great black hawks, white-winged swallows, terns, and more. To me the birds are simply “the brown one” or “the yellow-beaked one.” We’re amused when Johnny, one of our native guides, excitedly exclaims, “Oh my god, I think I’m going to die!” as he spies a rare bird species.

Sunset on the Amazon River

Twice a day naturalist guides take guests on excursions to visit local villages, swim in the Amazon, search for wildlife, fish for piranhas, or trek in the jungle. Even though we’re in a primitive area we’re not really roughing it. The crew provides daily meals and laundry service as well as nightly entertainment. The observation deck is a fine place to relax and visit with other guests as we take in stunning scenery of this great wilderness region.

Our crew entertained us with Peruvian music.

Breakfast onboard the skiff

One morning we leave early on a sunrise cruise. When the skiffs come to a section of flat water the guides serve a full breakfast in style on china plates and lace placemats. Above us on the bank, graceful blue and yellow macaws provide an unforgettable show as they flit from tree to tree in a mating ritual.

In the afternoon we travel back into the Reserve on the Pacaya River, a branch off the Ucayali. Sustainable living practices—hunting and fishing for personal use—are allowed for the thousands of people who live in and around the Reserve, mostly in small, isolated communities. These riberenos live as their ancestors did, unaffected by modern lifestyles. 

 Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Cruising the Amazon River in Peru

A riverboat trip through Peru offers wildlife sightings, jungle excursions, encounters with a shaman, and stunning scenery. It's also heaven for serious bird-watchers and folks like me who are just learning the basics about the many species found in this tropical environment.

Read more about our adventures cruising on the Amazon River in Peru in my article for Arizona Highroads.

http://www.aaahighroads.com/article/cruising-amazon



River people fishing on the Amazon River at sunset



River reflections when boating on a tributary of the Amazon



Larry on a jungle walk



We fished for--and caught--piranhas



Riding in a skiff through the jungle

 

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Cruise the Amazon--save on June trips of a lifetime

La Amatista at sunset on the Amazon

You may have heard about our trip to Peru last September, which included travel into the Highlands (mountainous regions) of southern Peru followed by a small-boat cruise on the headwaters of the Amazon River. This was truly an amazing journey with spectacular scenery, wonderful accommodations and food, and the friendliest people anywhere.

International Expeditions (IE) helped Larry and me organize our first week traveling on our own (with a guide and driver) and the second week with a group of 15 on the Amazon. I highly recommend IE, not only because of their excellent service but also because a portion of fees is used to improve environmental and cultural conditions in the regions where tours take place.

Lounging on a ficus tree in the jungle

I’m including information from IE regarding specials on June excursions. If you haven’t planned your summer travel, here’s a wonderful opportunity to take an Amazon River cruise at a greatly reduced rate. (We spent a week on the Amazon on La Amatista, a different boat, but we traveled through the same territory and had the same adventures as described below).

International Expeditions, the world leader in engaging and authentic nature travel, is offering travelers a special $1,000 per person savings on its June 1 and 22, 2012 Amazon River cruises. While reaping a rare savings of more than 25 percent off regular fares, budget savvy travelers enjoy an in-depth look at the legendary nature and vibrant culture of the Peruvian Amazon.

Guests on the 10-day Amazon Voyage travel more than 600 miles into the narrow tributaries of the Amazon aboard the 24-passenger riverboat Aquamarina, enjoying chances for rare wildlife sightings. Daily outings on this small-ship adventure take travelers deep into the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve to spot diverse wildlife, hike into the rainforest, and even fish for piranha. During excursions into the narrow river tributaries, guests may spot more than 100 kinds of birds, pink and gray river dolphins, sloths, giant otters and nocturnal animals such as caimans and capybaras (We saw all of these!).

River children learn early how to use
a machete

Amazon cruise passengers also spend time with the ribereños, native people of the Amazon’s remote villages, handing out school supplies to children and meeting with a local shaman. Guests enjoy a glimpse into daily life while also learning about local agriculture and crafts. Ensuring a high level of authenticity, IE varies the villages guests visit during their Amazon expedition (A highlight of the trip!).

When not discussing the rainforest or village life with the local guides, guests can stargaze on the open-air top deck or sip cocktails while enjoying the evening entertainment, courtesy of the ship’s local crew of 16. A high staff-to-guest ratio — better than 2:1 — ensures that guests are well looked after during their days aboard the 24-guest Aquamarina.

Daily excursions on the Amazon in skiffs revealed
scenes like this.

Prices for the June 1 and 22, 2012 Amazon River expedition cruise start at $2,898 per person (with discount), and include accommodations, excursions, complimentary laundry aboard Aquamarina, most meals, guides, transfers, and tips to porters and waiters for included meals.

A pioneer of environmentally responsible travel, IE is committed to preserving natural habitats and improving the welfare of the people and communities it visits. International Expeditions has been named seven times to Travel + Leisure’s list of “World’s Best” tour operators & safari outfitters and to National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine’s list of “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.”

For more information, call International Expeditions at 1-800-234-9620 or visit http://www.IEtravel.com.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier
Read more travel stories at Striped Pot and Austin Adventure Travel

Burial towers of Sillustani, Peru reveal advanced architecture

Good example of round tombs
at Sillustani

One stop on our journey through the altiplano (Highlands) of southern Peru was at Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground located on a peninsula of beautiful Lake Umayo. Chullpas—pre-Columbian funeral towers—were built by an Aymara-speaking tribe that dominated the Titicaca region before the Incas came in the 15^th century.

Most intact tombs are quite large

Ancestor worship was an integral part of the Aymara culture, and the cylindrical towers were built to provide a connection between life and death. Each tower contained the remains of one important member of the tribe mummified in the fetal position to recreate birth. The person was buried with prized possessions to take to the next world, a custom still practiced by the Quechen people today.  

The engineering involved in their construction is more complex than anything the Incas built. Ramps were needed to raise and set in place rectangular blocks and stones, a very ambitious project considering the time frame.

Other sites with large round tombs have been found across the altiplano, but Sillustani is the largest and most significant.  Grave robbers have destroyed many tombs, and others were left unfinished.  Many are being restored under the current effort to preserve this ancient heritage.

From the top of the hill, looking down on the village at Sillustani

Our guide Aidee, a native Quechen now living in nearby Puno, told us that Sillustani is currently under the auspices of the National Cultural Center, which is protecting and upgrading the site. A large decorative stone plaza leading to the tombs has been built within the last two years. To access the tombs, we walked through small village of about 100 people on the one paved street. Children returning from school chased frayed balls, their only playthings.

From the street we crossed the plaza at the foot of a high hill overlooking Lake Umayo (which ultimately flows into Lake Titicaca). Two natural islands rose in the crisp, blue water of the lagoon, creating a lovely backdrop for the perfect burial site--high on a hill and with easy water access (a laundromat for local women).

Lizard carved into stone tomb

We walked up the hill to the first two round tombs, built with a small entrance and double dome inside. Symbols such as a snake or lizard, considered a symbol of life because they could regrow their tails, were carved on the outside of some tombs. One large lizard tomb is beyond repair, however, because many of its rocks have fallen, and further destruction might result if it is tampered with. Speculation is that it might have been too heavy at the top, or perhaps an earthquake caused it to break.

A visit to Sillustani previews pre-Incaculture—and (perhaps inadvertently) shows how small the contrast is between ancient days and contemporary life in the mountainous rural regions of Peru.

Tours are available from Puno, 22 miles away, and cost about $10 per person.  www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/puno/sillustani

Read more about Peru adventures at Striped Pot

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