Puno - Sillustani

The other reason to visit Puno is its proximity to the funerary towers at Sillustani. These are really interesting. They're pre-Inca and Inca towers, built atop a windswept hill, in which nobles and human sacrificees were buried. The stonework is immensely impressive, and the towers would probably have survived intact had it not been for the frequent lightning strikes that have smashed several of them open, strewing huge cut boulders across the landscape. (Lightning conductors have now been installed to prevent any further damage). A couple of towers remain unfinished - one even has a ramp next to it, and cut stone lying nearby ready to be put together. The towers are very high, and stand out against the bleak landscape. They're hard to describe, but we took some cool photos, so you'll have to wait until those are on-line!