Margaret’s Travel Log 6: Lake Titicaca from Puno

Puno is located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Titicaca and provides a base for visiting the floating island communities of Uros and the Taquile community, which can only be reached by boat. Both communities live traditional – though very different – lifestyles, the Uros communities relying on hunting water birds and fishing, while the Taquile community farms the land.

The Uros islands are man-made, constructed from the reeds that grow abundantly around the lake’s edges and are particularly abundant in the vicinity of Puno. Each family group constructs its own floating platform and maintains it by adding new layers of reeds as the lower levels decay.

A view of Puno from the boat taking us to the Uros reed islands.

A view of a typical Uros village, taken from the lake using the 75-300mm lens at full extension. The buildings are constructed of reed mats, overlaid on a wooden frame. Many people prefer using wooden boats, like the one on the shore because they last longer than reed boats (which typically become saturated after 18 months of use).

Reeds provide both the foodstuff and domestic building materials for the Uros communities, as well as the materials from which their traditional boats are constructed. These range from large vessels capable of carrying 20 or more people to single-person craft.

The smaller reed boats are shaped like canoes, with high prows and sterns. They are used mainly for fishing and hunting.

Large reed boats are made by combining two smaller hulls in a catamaran style. Note the tower-like structure in the centre, which acts as a look-out point as well as providing room for additional passengers or goods.

Many reed boats have handsome figureheads, usually representing a puma, the sacred animal of the Incas.

The religion of the inhabitants is a mixture of Catholicism and the traditional Inca worship of the Pacha-Mama, the mother earth deity. Worship of the Patcha-Mama spreads throughout the indigenous peoples of Peru and Bolivia, who are divided into two main groups: the Aymara and the Quechua. And the two religions are interwoven in interesting ways, which are reflected in both countries’ arts, crafts and festivals.

Today turned out to be a great day for taking pictures of people as neither community had objections to being photographed – and neither wanted money for posing. However, the strong lighting, created by the bright Andean sun, presented a few problems for photographers as good results were only obtainable when there was sufficient reflection off the water or sandy soil to provide fill-in light to brighten shadows.

The women of the Uros community we visited lined up to sing us some of their songs. Everyday clothing is the traditional jacket and full skirt. Some still wear bowler hats, while others have adopted modern hat styles (which are probably easier to keep in place).

One of the senior men in the group – an accomplished worker with the reeds and skilful boatman.

One of the younger women in the community. Her roles include producing weavings and embroidery to sell to tourists as well as cooking and assisting with fishing.

A group of children being kept out of the way while their parents entertained tourists. The children attend primary school on the islands but must go to Puno for high school.

Both communities proved very warm and friendly, sharing their traditions – including songs and dance – and foods. The background of the sunlit Lake Titicaca and distant Andean peaks, was ideal for many shots. Some examples are shown below.

A younger boy wearing the traditional hat that is used by unmarried men in the Taquile community. It is distinguished by a patterned band and white peak.

Knitting is practiced only by the men in the Taquile community and boys learn the craft at an early age. It is common to see boys and men walking about, knitting industriously and creating very elaborate patterns.

Wool (usually from alpacas) is still spun in the traditional way, only by the Taquile women. They also do all the weaving and produce complicated patterns in cloth that is part of everyday wear.

One of the older men in the Taquile community, playing a lute, while the children dance. Note his hat – a typical married man’s hat, which has patterns right to the top.

One of the younger girls, twirling about in a traditional harvest dance. Her hat is typical of those worn by girls up to the age of five. After that, a head-scarf is worn.

One of the younger boys doing the planting dance. He is holding a traditional wooden foot plough.

Older children usually wear Western dress but they retain the typical hairstyle of their mothers. This girl is about 15 and already helping her parents with many everyday tasks.

Our next stop will be Cusco, the heart of the Inca empire. We will join a special tourist bus – the Inka Express – early in the morning and take most of the day to get there, stopping along the way at notable tourist spots, including the highest point on the highway (La Raya, at 4,313 metres), San Pedro (the site of an Inca temple) and the Church of Checacupe, which is noted for its exquisitely-carved pulpit).