Islands of Lake Titicaca

On February 10^th we journeyed by bus from Cusco to Puno, Peru in order to venture out on Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake (and a tentative World Heritage Site). When we arrived on Thursday, we arranged for visits to a couple of the islands out on the lake. In order to reach each of the islands it required an early wakeup call on Friday to the tune of 5am, being that neither of us is a morning person, this was a bit difficult, but fear not…we did it! We were picked up from our hotel and taken to a rather small vessel (did I mention that neither of us is too fond of boats?). The boat held approximately 25 passengers snuggly in a tight cabin area, thankfully there was a deck up top which Anthony utilized quite often in warding off any feelings of seasickness that approached. Before going any further, we should mention that these boats that travel out to the islands are old, shaky, running on rebuilt diesel car engines and top out at 12mph.

The first islands we visited were the floating islands of Uros (approximately 40 minutes off shore).The community is made up of a series of approximately fifty individual islands all interconnected through a series of small reed made sea-going vessels that enable residents to barter and trade with not only one another, but also with people on the mainland in the city of Puno (see pictures below). When we arrived to Uros we were met by the leader of the island who, through a local translator, demonstrated many of the daily routines and practices that make up the lives of the people residing there. Uros are a pre-Incan people who live on these fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca. They form three main groups: Uru-Chipayas, Uru-Muratos and the Uru-Iruitos. The last group is still located on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. The Uros use bundles of dried totora reeds to make reed boats (balsas mats). Early schooling is done on several islands, including a traditional school. Older children and university students attend school on the mainland, often in the nearby city of Puno.

The Uros descend from a millennial town that according to legends are "pukinas" who speak Uro or Pukina and that believe they are the owners of the lake and water. Uros used to say that they have black blood because they did not feel the cold. Also they call themselves "Lupihaques" (Sons of the Sun). The purpose of the island settlements was originally defensive, and if a threat arose they could be moved. The largest island retains a watchtower almost entirely constructed of reeds.About 500 years ago the Uros lost their original language when conquered by the Inca Empire.During this time, they had to pay taxes to the Inca and were often made slaves.

The larger islands house about ten families, while smaller ones, only about thirty meters wide, house only two or three. The islets are made of totora reeds, which grow in the lake. The dense roots that the plants develop and interweave form a natural layer called Khili (about one to 7 feet thick) that support the islands. They are anchored with ropes attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake. The reeds at the bottoms of the islands rot away fairly quickly, so new reeds are added to the top constantly, about every three months. When walking around the islands they feel a lot like walking in drenched grass or hay; sometimes we even felt as though we’d fall right through to the lake below. As the reeds dry, they break up more and more as they are walked upon. As the reed breaks up and moisture gets to it, it rots, and a new layer has to be added. The residents described the great deal of time and effort necessary by all families to maintain the island on a regular basis…it requires quite a lot of work!

Much of the Uros' diet consists of fish, eggs, and birds such as seagulls, ducks and flamingos.Food is cooked with fires placed on piles of stones for obvious reasons related to fire danger. This was a really cool stop and definitely another of the most anticipated during our trip to Peru. Before heading out to the next island, we took a short ride across the water on one of their crafted reed boats made to look like a two headed dragon. We were sung to by the villagers and then wished a safe journey before returning to our own boat and heading out on the 2.5 hour journey to Taquile Island.

Although only 30 miles away from Uros, it took an extremely long time, although it was an incredibly beautiful day and the lake’s surface was like glass. The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, are southern Quechua speakers. Taquile is an extremely hilly island (we had to hike uphill for about 30 minutes just to reach our first stop!). It is narrow and long and was used as a prison during the Spanish Colony and into the 20th century.

Taquile was part of the Inca Empire and has a number of Inca ruins. The island was one of the last locations in Peru to fall into Spanish hands during the Spanish conquest of Peru. Since the Spanish did not allow traditional dress, the islanders adopted the Spanish peasant clothing and as we traveled around the island these traditional representations of dress were everywhere. One of the more interesting facts about the Taquileños is that they run their society based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code “ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla.” (Quechua for "do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy"). The island is divided into six sectors for crop rotation purposes and their economy is based mainly on fishing and farming (mainly potato cultivation).

Through our travels in Central and South America we have seen a great number of talented craftsmen and artisans; however, the talent of the Taquileños in this department far surpassed much of what we had seen in other parts. As we learned on our visit, these people are very well known for their fine hand-woven textiles and clothing, and many regard their work as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, starting at age eight and women exclusively make yarn and weave. (In 2005, "Taquile and Its Textile Art" were honored by being proclaimed "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.)All of the men and boys on the island wear hats that are woven to distinguish whether they are married or not. A male with a hat that is completely colored with woven designs and textures is recognized as a married man, while other males wear hats that are half white and half woven in colors. These hats are worn everyday as part of the traditional dress and as a result, make it very easy to determine who in the community is married.

Taquile has a radio station and is equipped with generators, although islanders have elected not to use them and use solar panels instead. One other point of interest, Taquile has the curious distinction of being free of dogs, with many natives actually considering dogs and cats delicacies. We spent a few hours on the island visiting with a family, watching some traditional dances, and listening to typical music played on different string instruments and drums. Before leaving we enjoyed a visit to the town square high atop the island which provided some stunning panoramic views of the surrounding lake. It was definitely a really unique experience and one that we won’t soon forget (although we could have done without the 3 hour return boat ride…thank goodness the sun held out and we were able to enjoy the trip back to Puno).

Paz y Amor!