|
 The
Incas called Cusco "the navel of the world" and the lake
Titikaka "the womb of Mankind." Lakeside dwellers of
today regard themselves as the "oldest people in the
world" . The lake covers approximately 9000 km and like
many things in Bolivia it takes another highest
championship; it is the world's highest navigable lake
(12,500 feet) 3,820 meters, its depth was recently
measured at 457 Mt. Lake Titikaka has long been known to
be not only the largest but also the most sacred in the
world. Near it, many cultures and civilizations have
risen. The Tiawanaku culture began its raise around the
time of Christ and lasted over a millennium extending
far into Puno and Northern Chile. Tiawanaku ceremonial
sites were constructed along the shores of Lake Titikaka,
indicating that the lake was considered sacred at least
2,000 years ago. The Incas believed they originated from
the Lake Titikaka and that their bearded, white leader/deity,
Viracocha, began his acts of creation on this island.
Clearly, Lake Titikaka played a dominant role in Andean
beliefs for over two millennia. The best known of
Titikaka islands are Taquile and Uros , the floating
islands made of bulrushes. The islands of the Sun and of
the Moon are on the Bolivian side. Bulrushes (totora)
grow in the low waters of the lake and they have always
been of multiple use for the natives . The people from
the Titikaka region weave this plant very well to make
rafts which seem to be made of woven glob fiber; they
cut swiftly through the waters of the great lake. Birds
nest among the bulrushes , providing eggs for human
consumption. The matted plants serve as a foundation to
built bulrush houses on. The most important geographical
feature of Titikaka is the Copacabana peninsula, which
contains remains of cultures dating back to long before
the Spanish influence in South America . |
