Peru and Bolivia. Crossing Titicaca: Sacred Lake of the Inca
Titicaca is the largest (8,300 km2) freshwater lake in South America and the highest (3,812m) navigable body of water in the world. Located at the northern end of the Altiplano Basin and surrounded by the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia, the lake is named for an indigenous shrine called Thankhsi Cala located on Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). Four major rivers and more than 20 smaller streams flow into Titicaca. Although described as fresh, the lake’s salinity of 5.2 to 5.5 parts per 1,000 makes the water slightly brackish. Extending 190 kilometers in a northwest to southeast direction, the lake’s widest point is 80 kilometers and greatest depth is 280 meters. According to mythology, Titicaca is the cradle of the Incan Empire. Two children of the Sun God (the first Incas) are said to have emerged from its waters, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo.
My son and I departed Cusco on a train bound for Puno, Peru. Founded by the Spanish in 1668, Puno sits on Titicaca’s western shore. Our bus ride to the border crossing near Copacabana, Bolivia, took five hours including a lunch stop. After checking out of Peru, we walked to the Bolivian side of the border to purchase visas and subsequently found the dock area. Given that our catamaran was equipped to carry at least 50 passengers, we were surprised that only two other paying passengers would be traveling with us.
Shortly after leaving the harbor, we were greeted with spectacular panoramic views of 6,400-meter-high mountains on the far side of the lake. In some areas along the shoreline, it’s possible to see where local Aymara people still practice sukakullos, an ancient farming technique where crops such as potato and quinoa are grown on stepped terraces, one meter high and 15 meters wide. The lake itself has 60 varieties of birds, 18 amphibian species (including a three-kilogram frog), and 14 species of fish that include killifish and catfish. A portion of the lake is preserved as Titicaca National Reserve.
Our first stop was a small harbor on the 5.5-kilometer-long Isla del Sol. From the dock we climbed 210 Incan steps to reach the village of Yumani. At the top is the Inca’s Pilcocaina Temple (Temple of the Sun). Today, Yumani’s population of 2,500 is mostly comprised of indigenous Uros people. While there are no motorized vehicles allowed, the island has an abundance of walking trails, some providing access to Incan ruins that date from to the 15th century. The largest pre-Columbian civilization in South America, the Incan Empire was short lived. Established in 1438, it was conquered by the Spanish in 1572.
Near Yumani we stopped at an Incan fountain with three named waterspouts: Ama Sua (meaning don’t be crazy), Ama Kella (meaning don’t be a liar), and Ama Llulla (meaning don’t be a thief). According to Incan legend, Titicaca experienced a long period of darkness. Eventually the bearded god Viracocha rose from the lake’s depths where he commanded the Sun God to rise and illuminate Earth.
Before returning to the catamaran, we visited an area where workers assembled boats made from totora reeds. Called amaros, bundles of reeds are tied together with rope made from dried grass. Boat hulls are created by joining larger, cigar-shaped rolls made from several amaros. Leaving the island, we motored towards the harbor at San Pedro de Tiquina where we boarded a bus for our three-hour drive to La Paz, Bolivia.
