The antara is an Andean musical instrument composed of a series of pipes (either of ceramic or cane) arranged in vertical, gradual form (that is to say, in steps). They are traditionally made from a type of cane known as chuki or chajlla (Arundo donax) that grows in the ceja de la selva, literally "the eyebrow of the forest". The pipes are held together by one or two strips of cane (ties) to form a trapezoidal plane (like a raft). Antaras are of different sizes and they produce diverse sounds.

Antaras can have one or two tiers. In those with two tiers, the principal, larger tier consists of pipes open at one end and closed at the other by the natural knot of the cane. The pipes of the secondary tier, either open- or closed-ended, enrich the sounds produced by the principal pipes.

The antara is also known as a Siku, Panflute, or Panpipe. Siku is a term used, as much in Quechua as in Aymara, by the peoples of the Plateau of the Collao (P.e. Qcollas and Huancanés). Panpipe is a generic name in the Spanish language which is used at present to name the altiplánicas flutes (Jimenez Borja 1950-51),(Valencia Chacón 1981 and 1989) (Oblitas 1984 2009). The name pan flute is associated with a god of Greek mythology. The god Pan, its creator, was an anthropomorphic being represented by a human head and torso, goat body and legs, two horns, beard and hirsute body (Bolaños 1988: 17; Valencia Chacón 1989: 31).