DAY NINE
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
AN EYEBROW-RAISING temple, and sunset over sillustani
Waking up, we first walked around the grounds of our hotel to take some photos at the lake, as it was a really gorgeous day!
Getting out and about, today started with a very unique tour to the town of Chucuito in the Puno Province, known for its Fertility Temple. According to legend, the temple was visited by women trying to conceive. With a spiritual leader, they would climb aboard the mushroom/penis rocks (there are 86 of them) and be doused in a traditional Peruvian corn beer, which allegedly helped them become pregnant.
I’ve since found out that this all may be a hoax, set up to lure tourists. There are arguments for both sides. Either way, the lure worked. You definitely come away with some memorable photos!
Subtle!
Temple aside, the highlight of the tour was that there was a field alongside it with the absolute cutest alpacas in it. I wanted to steal one so badly!
Come on! ❤️
After visiting the temple, we walked around Chucuito a little bit, hearing the history of some of the buildings, as well as the beautiful mosaics that were found all over the sidewalk.
Later this afternoon, we drove to the site of Sillustani in Puno.
Mainly a burial site, it was used by the pre-Inca Colla people to create these large cylindrical towers called “chullpas,” built out of large stacked blocks. (They used straight rectangles as opposed to the Inca who were known for building with irregular shaped stones.) Each tower was built to hold the bodies of an extended (usually noble) family within its rounded walls. Unfortunately a lot of them have been ransacked throughout the years, but a few big ones still are standing, and have some interesting animal carvings on them.
Aside from the burial towers, the site itself was really gorgeous scenery, and being there during Golden Hour made it even more picturesque.
Such unique scenery!
Coming down the back side of the hill where the biggest tomb was standing, we ran into this woman feeding a baby vicuña. Adorable!
To close out the day, we drove back to our hotel in Puno and enjoyed a particularly beautiful sunset along the way. Once we got back, we headed to the airport for a nighttime flight back to Lima.