March 13, 2009 [Friday]

Main events: Boat from Puno to Uru reed islands, boat to Taquile Island in Lake Titi Caca.
After the visit to the islands, several students undertook a "polar bear challenge," leaping into the frigid waters of the lake.


The Lake Titi Caca region in Puno houses several different indigenous communities from several linguistic and cultural groups. One such collective is the Aymara, who speak a completely different language from that of the Inca (Quechua). Noted for their brutality, these people also have different traditional attire than those descended from other linguistic affiliations. Another fascinating people is the Uru, considered barbaric by the Inca. Despite mythopolitical cosmogony, it seems that that the Inca and their allies originated in the area that houses the highest lake in the world. This group appears to be related to the Aymara, as demonstrated by similar vocabulary and intermarriages.

Originally inhabiting the shores of Lake Titi Caca (supposedly shaped like a puma), the Uru began to live in boats for defensive purposes following the Spanish invasion. The Spanish feared the area in which they inhabited due to the violent waters in the middle Desaguadero. From boats the Uru moved to islands of totora reed, an edible plant plentiful in the lake.

The islands take approximately one year to construct. The base is created from totora roots (bound with nylon rope) about a meter thick and anchored to the bottom of the lake. The stalks of the root, cut slightly above the base (to avoid killing the plant and ensuring preservation of the ecosystem) are piled onto these bases. Houses of reed, including a tepee style structure, dot the surface, allowing communities averaging about six families to live on each island. Uru houses are slightly elevated to keep them dry. Boats are also constructed of reed.

The Uru culture includes music, dance, and brightly coloured clothing. Feet are usually bare. Women wear pom-poms in their braided hair, though married women often have darker tufts and wear hats to denote their status. After marriage, women traditionally follow the groom to his island, although such practices are becoming more ambiguous in the modern world. Some of the reed houses have electronics (powered by solar energy), creating an interesting juxtaposition of new and old.

Natural islands are also inhabited, such as Taquile, who share many Andean traditions, including ritual agricultural and marriage dances. Witnessing such traditions provides an interesting anthropological insight into the native people of Peru.