Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The rock was the focal point of a ceremonial complex staffed by hundreds of priests and
servants,andatcertain times ofyearthousandsofpilgrims, including theIncahimself, would
come here to take part in elaborate rituals involving music, dance and sacrifices. Most pil-
grims would not even be allowed near the rock, but worshipped from outside the sanctuary
wall; those who entered the inner sanctum did so only after passing through a series of door-
ways where they would undergo
cleansing rituals
. The winter and summer solstices were
probably amongst the most important religious celebrations; on the ridge to the northwest of
the rock the point where the sun sets on the June solstice was marked by structures whose
foundations can still be made out today. The nearby table made from a massive cut stone slab
has been put together with stones from other ruined buildings as a place for picnics.
La Chincana
Daily 9am-5.30pm • Ticket for
Challapampa museum
includes admission; Bs10
About200mbeyondTitikalatothenorthwestisaramblingcomplexofruinedbuildingslook-
ing out west across the lake to the Peruvian shore. Known as
La Chincana
(The Labyrinth),
this series of interlinked rooms, plazas and passageways with numerous trapezoidal niches
and doorways is thought to have been both the storehouse for sacred maize grown on the
island and the living quarters for the
mamaconas
, the so-called “Virgins of the Sun”, wo-
men specially chosen for their beauty and purity who attended the shrine, making
chicha
and weaving cloth for use in rituals. If you have the energy, it's worth walking ten to fifteen
minutes up to the peak at the far northern tip of Isla del Sol for panoramic views.
Challa
Museum: daily 9am-5.30pm • Free
About an hour south of Challapampa on the coastal path you reach
Playa Challa
, a pic-
turesque beach on a wide bay, and the
Qhumphuri Hostal and Restaurant
.
Shortly beyond
here the path climbs over a headland then drops down to the village of
CHALLA
, which
sits above another bay. The small
museum
near the waterfront has a collection of intriguing
dance costumes, masks and musical instruments.
Yumani
Just before entering the town you have to pay a Bs5 entry fee
From Challa, it's about another two hours' walk southeast to
YUMANI
, the island's largest
village and home to most of its accommodation. The spectacular views and modest Iglesia
de San Antonio aside, Yumani's most characteristic sight is the
Escalera del Inca
, a stairway
running steeply down to the lakeshore through a natural amphitheatre covered by some of
the island's finest Inca agricultural terracing, irrigated by bubbling stone canals. The canals
are fed by the
Fuente del Inca
, a three-spouted spring believed to have magic powers: drink
from all three, the locals say, and you'll gain knowledge of the Spanish, Quechua and Ay-
mara languages. At the bottom of the stairway by the beach are the remains of a minor Inca
building.
