At least three paths lead up to Llullaillaco. Two of them meet at a tambo or inn at an altitude of , while the third passes through a cementerio (cemetery) where 16 bodies were found in 1972 before reaching the tambo. From the tambo another path leads up the mountain, past two further archeological sites to of altitude. At this altitude the path is marked by cairns, probably to indicate where the path is when the volcano is covered by snow. The path ends at altitude at the Portezuelo del Inca ruins, where a staircase begins. From these ruins one path goes to a cemetery at altitude and another to the summit platform. The other path reaches two subrectangular walls farther up, and continues to the platform where the mummies were found. These are the highest archeological sites in the world. The paths were discovered by Mathias Rebitsch in 1958.