Illimani Volcano

Illimani rises above the eastern edge of the Bolivian Altiplano, southeast of La Paz, where the high plateau approaches the valleys descending toward the Yungas. Its long, snow-covered massif belongs to the Cordillera Real. Metamorphic rocks and intrusive granite form the mountain, whose several summits make a conspicuous landmark above the surrounding country.

In Inca times Illimani was already a sacred mountain. Its significance belonged to an Andean landscape in which great peaks received reverence and offerings, with mountain worship predating Inca expansion in many regions. Spanish accounts preserved evidence of these practices, although they seldom explained the particular reasons for venerating each peak. Illimani's place in this sacred geography does not depend on a demonstrated shrine on its highest summit: modern high-altitude archaeological surveys have found no such evidence there. The mountain's commanding presence linked the plateau and its eastern valleys through a shared horizon as well as through religious tradition.