Rio Lauca Burial Towers

Nestled in the Sajama National Park in the Bolivian altiplano, a complex of prehistoric burial towers (chullpas) comprises the most important surviving monumental complex of the Aymara people. The park lies southwest of the department of Oruro, bordered by the department of La Paz to the north and to the west by Chile’s Lauca National Park. Ten groups of chullpas, totaling over 100 towers, can be found scattered over an expanse of 10 kilometers north and south of the Rio Lauca. The chullpas stand isolated in a landscape that remains seemingly unchanged since the arrival of the Incas in the fifteenth century. The chullpas are made of adobe and stone and vary in height from three to four meters. Some are decorated in pigmented mud. For centuries they have been exposed to the extreme climate of the altiplano. Water penetration, staining, and freezing; wind and sand erosion and duning; faulty drainage; lichen infestation; salt efflorescence; and bird nesting have progressively destroyed the structures. In 1996, a paved road linking Bolivia with Chile was completed, allowing for many more visitors to the area, threatening the unprotected monuments and the delicate ecosystems nearby.

1998 World Monuments Watch

The Rio Lauca Burial Towers were included in the 1998 World Monuments Watch, and from 2004 to 2006, the Vice-Ministry of Culture implemented a conservation program with support from WMF and American Express.

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