Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Wordless Wednesday


27 comments:

jams o donnell said...

Nice photo Sherpa. Where was it taken?

Alison said...

You took the words right out of my mouth Jams, where/what is it?

Joy said...

Jams, you commented while I was in process of writing an explanation.

This is one of the funerary towers in Sillustani, on the shores of Lake Titicaca near Puno and Juliaca in Peru.

Sillustani is a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Titicaca near Puno. The tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures called chullpas, are the vestiges of the Colla people, Aymara who were conquered by the Inca in the 1400s. The structures housed the remains of complete family groups, although they were probably limited to nobility. Many of the tombs have been dynamited by grave robbers, while others were left unfinished.[1]

Ancestor worship and kinship were integral parts of Aymara culture, and the chullpas were built to emphasize the connection between life and death.[2] The insides of the tombs were shaped like a woman's uterus, and corpses were mummified in a fetal position to recreate their birth. Some of the tombs also have lizards carved into the stone. Because they could regrow their tails, lizards were considered a symbol of life. The only openings to the buildings face east, where it was believed the Sun was reborn by Mother Earth each day.[3]

The architecture of the site is often considered more complex than typical Incan architecture. In contrast with the Inca, who used stones of varying shapes, the Colla used even rectangular edges.[4] While chullpas are not unique to Sillustani and are found across the Altiplano, the site is considered the best and most preserved example of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sillustani


These were definitely an unexpected highlight of our trip.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting and beautiful photo.

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Thank you for the explanation ... :)

Jenn in Holland said...

So very beautiful.

MommaBoo said...

Beautiful! The background is perfect, as well.

Thanks for sharing!

Happy WW! See ya next week.....

Sandee said...

I hadn't a clue what I was looking at until I read your explanation. What a great history lesson here. Wonderful post and explanation. Happy WW. :)

Patois42 said...

Great photo. Great history lesson.

Donna. W said...

I sure learn a lot of interesting facts on WW, every week. Great entry.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing!

Pearls of Wisdom said...

Great photo and thanks for all the interesting information.

Angel Mama ( Pearls of Wisdom)

Cinnamon Girl said...

Cool pic! I'd love to tour central and south american someday. HappyWW!

Lavender said...

Loved the photo and thought it had a great mood, then see your follow up comment, and now my imagination is really working hard - great post! Happy WW, I played too.

FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

Thanks for your explanation. I wouldn't know what it is.
Mine is up now.

Janet said...

Thanks for the lesson. Most interesting.

The Daily Matters said...

Very interesting spot. Good photo!

Check out mine @ The Simple Times In Life

Dirkey said...

Wow that is awesome!!!
I want to go see!

mama k said...

"Titicaca" hehe My students always had fun with that one.

Great shot!

Happy WW!

Kellyology said...

I've always wanted to visit Peru. Beautiful shot.

Crystal said...

Cool picture......Happy WW!
Blessings

Raggedy said...

Thanks for the information on the pictures. Your trip sounds fascinating.
Happy Wordless Wednesday!
*^_^
(=':'=)
(")_ (")Š
from da Raggedy one

Anonymous said...

Wow, that could be Scotland, what a great shot :-)

BTW why does Bloggers stupid word verification always give me the long ones? :-( Look at this: vnphneuc

Anonymous said...

This is a stunning photo!!! Thanks for sharing it.

Unknown said...

What a nice photo..That sky is so pretty

Katya said...

So cool! No only a terrific pic, but a learning experience as well.
My son was just learning about Lake Titicaca this year! (we homeschool) I will show him the pic and let him read your explanation! Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

That is really cool. I enjoy these pictures of foreign places, because I will probably never see them in person. Peru looks very beatiful!