Mesa Ceremónica

Isla del Sol


About 150m southeast of the Chincana ruins is the Mesa Ceremónica. It’s thought to have been the site of human and animal sacrifices and makes for a damned good picnic spot in modern times. East of the table stretches the large rock known as Titicaca – or, more accurately, Titi Khar’ka (Rock of the Puma) – which is featured in the Inca creation legend. The name is likely to derive from its shape, which, when viewed from the southeast, resembles a crouching puma.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Isla del Sol attractions

1. Chincana Ruins

0.09 MILES

Isla del Sol's most spectacular ruins lie near the island’s northern tip. Its main feature is the Palacio del Inca, a maze of stone walls and tiny…

2. Templo del Inca

0.65 MILES

Over the track, and in a field just southwest, from the Piedra Sagrada, are the ancient walls of the complex known as the Templo del Inca. Although little…

3. Piedra Sagrada

0.77 MILES

From Cha’llapampa Village, the Chincana route runs parallel to the beach, climbing gently along an ancient route to the isthmus at Santiago Pampa (also…

4. Cha'llapampa Museum

1.19 MILES

The small Cha'llapampa Museum contains artifacts excavated in 1992 from Marka Pampa, referred to by locals as La Ciudad Submergida (Sunken City). Among…

5. Cha’llapampa

1.22 MILES

Most tours visiting the northern ruins land at Cha’llapampa, a small village straddling a slender isthmus.

6. Marka Pampa

1.99 MILES

At low tide an innocuous-looking column of rock peeps just a few centimeters above Lake Titicaca’s surface, north of Isla del Sol. Most locals dismiss it…

7. Ruins

2.31 MILES

Some obsidian remnants among the ruins indicate contact with people as far away as Colca Canyon, Arequipa, Peru.

8. Cha’lla

3.15 MILES

This agreeable little village stretches along a magnificent sandy beach that could be straight out of a holiday brochure for the Greek islands. The…