Peru 2024 - Part 15 - Along the Shore of Lake Titicaca

Thursday, 3 October 2024

Today we had a tour along the shore of Lake Titicaca from Puno to Pomata, which isn’t too far from the border with Bolivia.

We had a few rain showers as we drove. At other times we could see across the lake to the western Andes and their snow-capped peaks.

The mountains along the way were terraced for agriculture - and had been terraced for centuries.

Trout farming is extensive in Lake Titicaca.

Chucuito

Our first stop was at Inca Uyu in the small town of Chucuito. Inca Uyu is a small pre-Incan temple that was probably a fertility temple, as it was filled with stone penises.

A colonial era church bell tower now overlooks the temple.

The temple walls had interesting stone work, including stones in the corners that were fashioned into right-angle corners (top row and third row down).

Pomata

In Pomata we visited the Iglesia de Santiago Apostol (Church of St. James the Apostle).

A puma carved into the pink granite of the church.

Carvings mixing grapes and indigenous creatures.

The church was decorated for a festival the coming Sunday.

The dome is noted for its alabaster windows.

Juli

In Juli we were supposed to see the cathedral (Catedral de San Pedro Mártir de Verona), but there was a funeral mass in progress, so we just peeked in and then left.

We had a quick snack in the main square, and as we were about to leave, the funeral was over and the procession was leaving the cathedral. A band consisting of drums, bamboo pan pipes, and a cymbal led the way.

A second band followed the procession. This band had more modern western instruments - mostly saxophones, but also a violin, a drum, and, improbably, a harp. This was the same kind of harp we saw in the Monasterio in Arequipa.

The funeral procession walked slowly through town to the cemetery. We had to take a convoluted route out of town to bypass the procession.

Willka Uta

On our way back to Puno we stopped at another pre-Incan site, Willka Uta - a carved “portal” in a rock face.

The entrance to Willka Uta. The door is visible from the main highway, but the entrance is off a one-lane dirt road. The origins and importance of this site are unknown.

The door/portal is carved into a pink granite rock face. Vertical channels are at either side.

Our guide, Juan, demonstrates how to feel the “power” of the portal.

The vertical channel to the left of the door (as viewed). Standing in either channel can be another source of spiritual energy.

An established walkway leads from the door to the hills beyond.

More rock formations at Willka Uta.

The site has a view to Lake Titicaca and the high Andes beyond.

Puno Market

Our last stop of the day was at a traditional market in Puno. (I think it was the Mercado Progreso.)

We walked down the aisle for traditional medicines - herbs, spices, special foods, and a few strange products.

Some of the shops sold food materials that looked rather “normal”.

But some items were a bit strange. These are dried (mummified?) alpaca fetuses.

This shopkeeper was a friend of our guide. Most of the shopkeepers were women, and most of them were knitting as they waited for customers.