History & culture

Generations of school children have been taught that Lake Titicaca, at 3850 meters (or 12,400 feet) above sea level, is the highest navigable lake in the world. In fact there are many navigable lakes above 4000 meters, such as Lake Junin in the central Andes of Peru. But Titicaca is commonly perceived as the highest, probably because of its size, which allows large cargo ships and passenger vessels to travel on the lake. Measuring over 170 Km long, with a width of about 60 Km, it is the largest lake in South America. It is fifteen times the size of Lake Geneva, and the largest lake above 2000 meters in the world. Its clear blue waters, at first sight seem inviting, but its temperature is only a few degrees above freezing. It has over thirty rivers flowing into it, keeping its level topped up even in the dry season. But it has only one river flowing out of it, called the Desaguadero, heading south into Bolivia. On the lake live some ancient and isolated communities; the most well known being the Uros Indians, which live on the floating reed islands. No one really knows why the indians decided to make their home in the reed beds in the shallows of the lake. Perhaps they wanted to escape the dominance of the Colla and Inca cultures in the 15th century or escape from Spanish conquerors in the 16th century. They used to be a totally independent culture, even with there own language. But in recent years, they have become increasingly dependent on the comforts to be found in the towns on the edge of the lake. They are marrying with nearby Aymara indians, and now they have totally lost their own language. But the lifestyle of the Uros communities remains totally interwoven with the Tortora reed, with which they live. The reed is harvested and dried, then it can be used to build the islands themselves, boats used for transport, houses, and the root can be eaten in soups. Jacques Cousteau spent 8 weeks exploring the lake bed using mini submarines; he found no gold but surprised many by finding a 2-foot long multi-coloured frog which apparently never comes to the surface!