UROS ISLANDS

Lake Titicaca

Peruvian Andes

At the tippy top of the southeastern Peruvian Andes plains (12,500′ above sea level) Peru meets Bolivia & a massive marshy lake spreads for miles & miles.

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Nestled next to the clean, hilly & bustling town of Puno, giant Lake Titicaca sits (pronounced “tetehaha“… yet, I choose to still pronounce it wrong, just like I did in 6th grade, cuz it’s funny! Made me giggle then. Makes me giggle now.) This, the largest fresh water lake in South America, also boasts the highest navigable lake in the world & is beautifully backed by the snowcapped peaks of Bolivia’s Cordillera Real mountain range.

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Dating before the Inca Empire, this sweet community has a beautiful inspiring story, one motivated by peace, with it’s founding origins based on a choice to live in harmony with others. The story goes that while ancient tribal conflicts brought village against village making war to settle disputes, the Urus ancestors chose to step away, to retreat to their boats made of reeds to live separate from the hostility, free from contention & violence.

With a simple relocation feature, the water served not only as their defense, but also provided a bounty of plentiful fish, fowls & the versatile delicious totora. Eventually, the Uru created a more enduring place to dwell, masses of thick piles of reeds securely fastened & high enough to keep the surface dry as well as support the weight of both people & structures. And so the wonderous Uros Islands were admirably established by the richness of human cooperation to create community.

Today there are well over a hundred islands hitched together. These gentle peaceful folks graciously welcome visitors to their humble homes to demonstrate their current way of life, which is very much the same as their ancestors. Each island is kept small to avoid too much weight, anchored with tall eucalyptus poles, ropes & stones sunk to the floor of the lake then tied to other suspended small islands.

There are basically two long lines of these linked yellow structures bobbing a bit on either side of a water canal where boats can freely navigate between & out of the community.

Cooperation, peace & order is their overriding culture. Group reprimands do happen, but are rarely needed. If any island family group cannot solve a dispute with a next door island, the attaching rope is simply cut setting the offending island adrift. It happens practically never we were told, but what a model & motivator for harmony!

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Our journey to reach the islands involved boating out several miles from our lakeside hotel through a blue channel carved in the green moss. We met other small vessels… weathered wood fishing boats, a motorized ferry on it’s way to mainland Puno & a number of traditional Uru’s boats. These colorful reed creations resemble something you’d find in a whimsical cartoon, a few even had dragon faces. Wow! So adorable with their two thick round hulls curving to a point & topped with a double decker wood cabin brightly painted in reds, yellows & greens. Magical!

We passed a darling group of folks hanging out at the community entrance waiving enthusiastically … the first of many such enchanting welcomes!

Arriving at our destination, one single island, we were the fortunate guests of 20 delightfully charming inhabitants, 4 families with smiles as wide as their faces all warmly beckoning us to come ashore, eager to tie off our boat.

My first steps onto the thick mass of piled totora reeds was surprising … a squishy bouncing walk delivering a muffled crackling as the hay like substance moved beneath my feet. So strange! So cool!

All clad in brightly colored traditional dress, a rainbow of skirts, vests & hats, moms, dads, toddlers, kiddos, a grandma & their hard working Mayor/President, Caesar, were all willing to show us around & even invite us in their homes. They showed how the totora is securely attached with cords & we learned the structure requires ongoing maintenance to stay afloat, rejuvenating the surface with a new layer of reeds every 20 days. Wow… that’s a lot of work!

Their homes were simple one room shacks constructed mostly of reeds, elevated several steps up on a stilted foundation of totora bales. There were no windows, a large bed filling half the space & all the walls & rafters were populated with storage hooks holding clothes, hats, toys & basically all the family’s belongings.

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Our time with the Uru was ever so delightful… especially the children (be still my heart) with their cherubic round faces & bright eyes filled with mischief.

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Then there was this angel… waved us in to the island & fully capturing my heart!! (Video attached… what a treat!)

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Their mothers dressed us up in traditional clothing, sang to us as we departed (a delightful rendition of “Row Row Row Your Boat”) & their fathers rowed us around between the islands in that enchanting large boat made of reeds.

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We learned that was no easy feat when we were given a chance to row… our efforts were pretty lame! There were kitties, a dog & a plethora of happy.

Such an fascinating thrill to get up close & personal with this lovely tribe of sweet people … primitive for sure, but not completely devoid of technology. These folks do of late have solar panels for limited electricity, tv & a kindergarten for the youngest inhabitants. The older kids commute daily by boat to Puno for school. The adults pass their time fishing, laughing & weaving gorgeous tapestries with bright thick embroider & reeds into souvenir miniature boats for the tourists. 

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How blessed I was to take a few of these lovely goodies home & engage with these gentle peaceful people. Their ability to live in peace, free of major contention for hundreds of years warms my heart & brings me JOY!