Purpose of Chulpas Towers: Smelting Furnaces or Burial Buildings?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Discussions about how and why many megalithic buildings were built, and even more so, with polygonal masonry structures, do not subside. Some speak about the version of only mechanical processing of stones, who offer concrete (or geo-concrete, cold fluidolite molding). Anyone who follows my articles probably guesses that in the case of huge blocks with very high-quality masonry without gaps, I tend to the latest version. About the purpose of such buildings - generally one guess.

I propose to once again focus on some details, in particular, in the laying of the mysterious Chulpas towers, and talk about the alternative purpose of these structures.

Chulps of Sillustani

In Peru, 30 km west of Lake Titicaca, on the shore of another lake (Laguna Umayo), there is a place called Sillustani. The stone towers of Chulpas are located on a small territory.

The official information is the burial towers, and the territory is the cemetery. But, here, a strange thing: there are no ancient cities around, only a modern village 3 km away. The situation is the opposite in Machu Picchu: there is a city, but no cemetery.

On some blocks, stone "nipples" are visible. The rock blocks of different colors are also visible. Or geo-concrete of different color, collected from different sources of its outputs. Inside, the blocks are completely untreated and do not have a solid inner plane. This would not have happened in the case of forming blocks in the formwork.

The purpose of these "nipples", as the readers suggested in previous articles: hooks when lifting blocks or "bridges" to hold blocks when cutting them in a quarry, or "swelling" of the rock when gaining strength and water ingress during rains (like the expansion of bentonite clays).

Agree that if these blocks were cut down somewhere in the vicinity, then in the quarry the breed cannot differ so much in color. Or were they transported from different quarries?

Although, I do not exclude that in this particular example I am mistaken and these chulps are the result of mechanical processing of the stone:

1. Although, bloated blocks are still present as in the masonry in Cusco.

2. This photo speaks for the version of softening stones (or for the version of building from geo-concrete). Pay attention to the dents in the blocks where they mate. It appears to have been a tongue-and-groove system for better block grip. But these dents cannot be called hollowed out or carved out. They look like dents. Although, why the inner surface of the tower was not given an even appearance is not clear. Labor saving, rush?

3. Here in Sillustani there are chulps built on mortar, apparently by the late tribes of the Indians, and it was in them that burials began to be arranged for cult purposes.

4. The image of Chulp was placed on a coin in Peru. If this is a burial, a grave, then would it be placed? This would cause some discomfort for some. Perhaps Peru is aware of the true purpose of these towers.

You can read about the version of using geo-concrete (fluidolites) here.

And why blocks can expand - version here

There is information about the softening of stones allegedly with some kind of juice of a rare plant. That the Indians spied this method from the bird, which rubbed the stone rocks with its beak with the brought leaves, and then gouged out the nests like swallows in the clay bank of the river.

Sillustani is not the only place with these towers

Chulps Kutumbo

1. 50 km southeast of Silustani there are Kutimbo chulps. There are very few of them

2. There are four towers here. Two rectangular and two cylindrical

3. Polygonal masonry of a rectangular tower

4. Bloated blocks of cylindrical towers

A short video with views of the buildings and surroundings:

Chulps Molloko

Chulps of Molocco are found in groups on the hillsides in the province of Puno:

Until recently, they were generally little known, there are practically no photographs. The brickwork is still polygonal from rough stones

Chulps in the province of Espinar

They are located 240 km south of Cusco. All chulps are destroyed. One either survived or was restored. But all the destroyed ones are more primitive. Why - further version …

Let's move on to considering an alternative version of their purpose. We will not pay attention to the cult and ritual purposes, which historians and archaeologists love to talk about so much, but we will focus on the practical side.

There is a version that these chulpas towers are furnaces for smelting metals.

1. In the chulpas in the lower rows of the masonry there are such windows. What if these are air supply windows? Charge and coal were loaded into the tower, set on fire and so smelted and reduced ore to metal.

2. A latch stone in a window in the tower structure. Possibly to regulate airflow or retain molten metal.

3. I think the chulps were not disposable. After stopping the burning and cooling of the metal, in order to get it, it was necessary to disassemble the masonry. The photo shows disassembled chulps. I also do not exclude that the blocks were used several times.

4. Some historians even cite pictures of the technology of ancient metallurgists, where furnaces are very similar to chulps.

Handicraft iron smelting in Yakutia. Metal leaks from the lower window. The chulpa worked in about the same way. Or air was supplied through the window with furs.

Where did you get the ore? Right there, next to. We look:

1. The lake looks like a flooded quarry. Pay attention to the shape of some parts of the coastline - very similar to mine workings.

2. Silustani. In the middle of the lake (an ancient quarry) there is a table mountain - a remnant of an ancient surface.

3. Does it look like a flooded quarry? Yes, it is quite

4. Kutumbo also has such a table mountain, which may be the remnant of large-scale workings for long periods.

Did any of the Peruvian geologists take samples for the metal content in these places?

This version is just an assumption that requires comprehensive study. But, unfortunately, historians can only put forward versions of religious cults and burials.

An interesting idea was expressed by readers in VK. Imagine that this is a furnace of giants 5-7 meters tall! Then these structures for them will look something like this:

If it was built by giants, then it is convenient for them to work with such stoves (unlike modern people), you can disassemble and assemble the masonry. To many, this version with the objects of ancient metallurgy of giants will seem quite logical. But only so far not a single giant skeleton has been found. And if found, it is not presented for review. Or we do not know about it, because don't watch foreign news? I will tell you about information on this topic sometime in subsequent articles.