Taquile (Spanish: Isla de Taquile; Quechua: Intika) is an island
on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca 45 km offshore from the city of Puno.
About 2,200 people live on the island, which is 5.5 by 1.6 kilometres (3.4 by
1.0 mile) in size (maximum measurements), with an area of 5.72 km2 (2.21 sq
mi).
The highest point of the island is 4,050 metres (13,287 feet) above sea level
and the main village is at 3,950 metres (12,959 feet).
The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, speak Puno Quechua.
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Puerto de Ocio
Arrival on the island is at the Puerto de Ocio.
- Puerto de Ocio is on the east side of the island.
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Toll ticket
At the entrance to the island we have to pay a toll ticket.
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Taquileans are known for having created an innovative,
community-controlled sustainable tourism model, offering home stays,
transportation, lodging for groups, cultural activities, local guides
and restaurants.
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Ever since tourism started coming to Taquile in the 1970s, the
Taquileans slowly lost control over the mass day-tourism operated by
non-Taquileans.
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Taquile community have their own travel agency. Munay Taquile has been
established to regain local control over tourism.
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Access ramp to the center of the island
Then we have to climb a big ramp until we get to the top.
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Man knitting
Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing,
which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru.
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Knitting is exclusively performed by males, beginning in early
boyhood.
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Women spin wool and use vegetables and minerals to dye the wool to be
used by the community.
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Women are also the weavers of the Chumpis, the wide belts with woven
designs worn by everyone in the community of Taquile.
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Making soap
Soap is made by grinding plants.
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Restaurant Illary
Taquile offers a wide range of typical dishes.
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Breakfast consists of two pancakes with sugar or bread with eggs, with
a cup of tea made from either Muña or Coca.
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For lunch, dishes are a vegetable soup, fish with rice and a tomato
and onion salad.
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For dinner, the Taquilean people serve vegetable soup with bread.
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Main course
Grilled fish with chips.
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Herbal tea
The tea is made from coca leaves.
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Woman in traditional clothes
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Panorama of the east coast of the island
In the distance we can see the Ancohuma and Calzada mountains in
Bolivia.
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Cantutas
Cantua buxifolia, known as qantu, qantus or
qantuta (Quechua) is a flowering plant found in the high valleys
of the Yungas of the Andes mountains in western South America. Also
known as the Peruvian magic tree, it is an evergreen shrub growing to 4
m (13 ft) tall by 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide with small leaves and clusters of
brilliant pink, narrow tubular flowers in early spring. It is the
national flower of Peru and one of two national flowers of Bolivia, the
other being the patujú (Heliconia rostrata).
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The Inca legend associated with the cantua is the tale of two kings
named Illimani and Illampu and their sons. Both kings were powerful
and wealthy rulers of a vast country in the Qullasuyu region (today's
Bolivian Altiplano), and each had a beloved son whom the people held
in great esteem. But as time passed, the kings became irritated at
each other's prosperity, and eventually one of them attacked the
other.
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During the battle, the two kings mortally wounded each other, and were
carried away. Each on his dying bed called his son and had him vow to
avenge him, even if each son had been opposed to the war in the first
place. Bound by their pledge, the sons prepared and led a second war
even though they held no grudge against each other. History repeated,
and each son inflicted a fatal wound on the other.
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But instead of harsh words, the dying sons generously forgave each
other, and asked that their servants place them side by side on the
green grass of the battlefield. Then appeared Pachamama, goddess of
fertility, who told the young kings before they died that they
shouldn't have suffered from their fathers' unjustified enmity. To
punish their dead fathers, their stars fell from the sky and became
the snow-covered mountains still named Illimani and Illampu which are
some of the highest peaks in Bolivia.
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The rivers of their slowly melting snow are their tears of regret and
fertilize the valleys. The cantua bloom symbolizes the people's unity,
and bears the colours of the two kings' sons (red and yellow), as well
as green (standing for hope).
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See more at
Cantua buxifolia - Wikipedia.
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Traditional dance in the Plaza de Taquile
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Taquile Church
The majority of the inhabitants of Taquile are Catholic. They adapted
this religion, harmonizing Andean religion with the syncretic Christian
culture.
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The mother earth (Pachamama), the principal Andean deity, directly
controls harvesting and fertility.
- The island is home to four Apus, Andean mountaintop deities.
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People make several offerings to these deities each year, and they
offer three coca leaves prior to each activity or trip.
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Typical stone arch (Arco tipico)
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Sheep herding
Taquileños run their society based on community collectivism and on the
Inca moral code ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla, (Quechua for "do
not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy").
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The island is divided into six sectors or suyus for crop
rotation purposes.
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The economy is based on fishing, terraced farming horticulture based
on potato cultivation and tourist-generated income from the
approximately 40,000 tourists who visit each year.
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Taquile's families own rams, sheep, cows, chickens and sometimes
guinea pigs.
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Typical stone arch (Arco tipico)
In the background we can see the coast of Puno.
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Pedestrian path that leads to Puerto Chilcano
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Puerto Chilcano
Puerto Chilcano is on the western side of the island.
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See also
Source
Location
