|
|
|
|
|
|
Lake Titicaca at 12,500 ft (3,810ms) above sea level and the highest navigable waterway in the world, was left behind after the last Ice Age, It is 100 miles (176kms.) long, 30 miles (50 kms.) across and fed by eight rivers to a maximum depth of 1000 ft (403ms.) and straddles the Peru Bolivia border.
Its name, deeply significant in local mythology, derives |
|
|
|
|
from "Titi" Aymara for cat and "Caca" Quechua for The Sacred Rock on the Island of the Sun. Around the Lake, cave paintings suggest the pre-ihis.toric coexistence of man and camelid - vicuña, llama and alpaca. There is evidence, too, of the early Colla, Lupaka and Pukara cultuires but one of the most important archaeological sites in South America is that of Tiwanaku (1500BC-1000AC). Known also all The Sacred Lake, Titicaca later became the legendary birthplace of the Incas, for it is said, that the great God Viracocha emerged from its depths to create Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo on the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) one of its 30 islands.
|
|
Its dark blue waters and beds of totora reed provide a home or temporary iresting place for 60 species of native and migratory birds, 18 species of amphibians and 12 varieties of aquatic plants.
The luminescent light and unpolluted air intensify the colors of the visiting rose pink flamingoes. Along the water’s edge grow the purple potato iflower and ruby red quinoa, while up on the empty expanses of the altiplano, the only splash of colour is the psichodelic pink and green clothing of campesino women guarding their herds of llamas and alpacas. Beyond them rise the dramatic snow peaks of the Cordillera Real (6000ms+). Markets and livestock fairs are commonplace amongst the Aymara and Quechua communities and somewhere there is always a Fiesta.
For all its great beauty, the altiplano is nor for the weak hearted. Life can be harsh to the native people who must eke out a subsistence level existence from the Lake or the land. For many a seasonal drought or the weather phenomenon El Niño will destroy their livelihood and drive them into Puno looking for work. So many puneños move away from the sierra to add to the misery of the shanty towns which surround the larger towns. Any project which offers employment and generates revenue around Lake Titicaca is helping to arrest this negative trend. In addition, the YAVARI Project is proactively promoting the region. If you come aboard you will be helping to alleviate some of the hardships endured you will be helping to alleviate some of the hardships endured by these people and to unlock the potential of the Lake.
|
 |
|
|
