Sillustani's chullpas — cylindrical stone funeral towers rising up to 12 meters on a dramatic peninsula jutting into Lake Umayo near Puno — are among the most architecturally striking mortuary monuments in the Andes. Built by the Colla (Aymara) people and later adapted by the Inca, the towers housed the remains of complete elite family groups, wrapped in textiles with offerings. Some chullpas are wider at the top than the base — an engineering feat achieved through corbelling. At 62.88° Giza bearing on the Pleiades corridor, the site overlooks the Titicaca basin. The towers' east-facing doorways catch the sunrise, connecting the dead to the daily solar rebirth — a principle common to funerary architecture across cultures worldwide.
WikipediaStellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 87.1° | — | 272.9° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 105.1° | — | 254.9° | — | |
| Sirius | 111.6° | — | 248.4° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 45.2° | — | 314.8° | — | |
| Regulus | 65.0° | — | 295.0° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.0° | — | 268.0° | — | |
| Antares | 97.3° | — | 262.7° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 136.4° | — | 223.6° | — | |
| Arcturus | 42.4° | — | 317.6° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 105.2° | — | 254.8° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 74.8° | — | 285.2° | — | |
| Deneb | 51.9° | — | 308.1° | — | |
| Capella | 59.7° | — | 300.3° | — | |
| Castor | 61.8° | — | 298.2° | — | |
| Pollux | 64.2° | — | 295.8° | — | |
| Procyon | 85.2° | — | 274.8° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.0° | — | 265.0° | — | |
| Rigel | 113.9° | — | 246.1° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 98.6° | — | 261.4° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 132.2° | — | 227.8° | — | |
| Mimosa | 128.2° | — | 231.8° | — | |
| Altair | 81.2° | — | 278.8° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | 10.6° | — | 349.4° | — | |
| Alkaid | 6.2° | — | 353.8° | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 82.5° | — | 277.5° | — | |
| Alnitak | 105.4° | — | 254.6° | — | |
| Mintaka | 104.6° | — | 255.4° | — | |
| Saiph | 112.3° | — | 247.7° | — | |
| Peacock | 145.4° | — | 214.6° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 147.5° | — | 212.5° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 130.3° | — | 229.7° | — | |
| Hadar | 128.2° | — | 231.8° | — | |
| Gacrux | 125.5° | — | 234.5° | — | |
| Naos | 126.9° | — | 233.1° | — | |
| Suhail | 124.0° | — | 236.0° | — | |
| Avior | 142.6° | — | 217.4° | — | |
| Atria | 141.0° | — | 219.0° | — | |
| Regor | 133.1° | — | 226.9° | — | |
| Alsephina | 136.4° | — | 223.6° | — | |
| Shaula | 112.2° | — | 247.8° | — | |
| Ankaa | 157.2° | — | 202.8° | — | |
| Menkent | 102.4° | — | 257.6° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 82.0° | — | 278.0° | — | |
| Eltanin | 29.0° | — | 331.0° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 49.2° | — | 310.8° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 63.3° | — | 296.7° | — | |
| Denebola | 54.0° | — | 306.1° | — | |
| Alhena | 82.3° | — | 277.7° | — | |
| Alphard | 89.0° | — | 271.0° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.0° | — | 267.0° | — | |
| Pushya | 67.4° | — | 292.6° | — | |
| Adhara | 123.5° | — | 236.5° | — | |
| Wezen | 120.0° | — | 239.9° | — | |
| Navi | 50.9° | — | 309.1° | — | |
| Schedar | 54.9° | — | 305.1° | — | |
| Nunki | 108.7° | — | 251.3° | — | |
| Canopus | 148.9° | — | 211.1° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 113.5° | — | 246.5° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 79.9° | — | 280.1° | — | |
| Enif | 91.4° | — | 268.6° | — | |
| Diphda | 132.3° | — | 227.8° | — | |
| Alphecca | 39.7° | — | 320.3° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 60.1° | — | 299.9° | — | |
| Spica | 77.0° | — | 283.0° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 76.5° | — | 283.5° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 61.5° | — | 298.5° | — | |
| Murzim | 116.8° | — | 243.2° | — | |
| Phact | 136.7° | — | 223.3° | — | |
| Mirfak | 61.6° | — | 298.4° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 54.5° | — | 305.5° | — | |
| Markab | 92.6° | — | 267.4° | — | |
| Algol | 71.2° | — | 288.8° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 103.3° | — | 256.7° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 105.1° | — | 254.9° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 65.6° | — | 294.4° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 114.4° | — | 245.6° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 72.8° | — | 287.2° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 107.2° | — | 252.8° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 60.0° | — | 299.9° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 120.0° | — | 240.1° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 70.5° | — | 289.5° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 109.5° | — | 250.5° | — |
Convergence Events (7)
62.1°
Alphecca Rise
Celtic (Caer Arianrhod), Arabic, Aboriginal, Pawnee (council ring)
Δ 0.7°
61.6°
Bharani (41 Arietis) Rise
Hindu/Vedic (death/rebirth nakshatra), IAU named
Δ 1.3°
64.9°
Pleiades (Alcyone) Rise
Maya, Greek, Aboriginal, Hindu (Krittika), Japanese (Subaru)
Δ 2.0°
60.8°
Pollux Rise
Greek (Dioscuri), Hindu (Punarvasu), Chinese, Arabic
Δ 2.1°
60.7°
Scheat Rise
Hindu (Purva Bhadrapada), Arabic, Chinese, Persian
Δ 2.2°
65.6°
Hamal Rise
Babylonian, Arabic (the ram), Hindu, Chinese
Δ 2.7°
65.6°
Summer Solstice Sunrise
Universal
Δ 2.7°
Related Sites — Pleiades Exchange