Floating islands and towers for the dead
Trip Start
Dec 30, 2007
1
34
50
Trip End
Jun 22, 2008
Puno,
Puno,
Peru
Thursday, April 24, 2008
We were allowed into Peru, although it turned out that we had overstayed our Bolivian visa by one day, so we were fined for that.
The change on crossing the border is dramatic. Suddenly, there are large fields of crops, rather than the desultory cultivation found in Bolivia. The area is much more heavily settled. The soccer fields have goals with nets in them and people playing wear smart uniforms. There is a general sense of prosperity (relatively speaking). It is hard to understand why. The climate is the same. The people are the same. The history is similar (certainly up to independence). The only difference I can think of is that there were different governments since independence. And the sad thing about that is that Peru's government has hardly been the kind that you would wish on a people. My favourite sight on the way over was a high wall with many pictures of animals and the soon 'zoo'. Behind the wall was (another) soccer field. Peru may have the highest ratio of soccer fields to population of any place I have visited.
I haven't heard anyone say a pleasant thing about Puno, but I don't know why. It is a normal city with nice plazas and plenty of tourist facilities. The nearby attractions are nice. As a whole the city is not pretty, but it is no slum either.
Floating souvenir stands
We arrived in Puno and almost at once headed out to the famous floating islands of Lake Titicaca. These are constructed from totora reed and are a very curious sight.
A totora boat at sunset
Unfortunately the whole experience is pretty tacky and designed solely for tourists. But it may be one of the most successful tourism ventures ever. Two thousand people live on these islands, supported almost entirely by tourism. These modern inhabitants are descendants of the Uros people who originally took to the rafting life style, possibly to escape more martial peoples such as the Incas. Everything is constructed from reeds, although plastic is discreetly used to make up for the deficiencies in reeds. Reed houses perch on the reed islands, and they have reed boats for transport (although they actually use wooden boats with outboards). Many fairly ordinary souvenirs (mostly constructed from the reed) are for sale. Despite all that it is a pretty interesting trip and the lake is beautiful, especially at dusk as birds dive amongst the reeds.
Silustani
We are well and truly back on the archaeological trail now, and I was keen to see the funerary towers at Silustani. They are quite unlike anything that we have seen so far. Originally conceived of by the Colla people (who seceded the Tiwanakus after about 1200 AD), the idea was adapted by the Incas when they moved in in the 15th century. They make impressive tombs. The Colla design was essentially an inverted cone, and the most impressive structure is eight meters high and beautifully executed, with stone worked and fitted perfectly. However, other styles were also used, including very humble piles of stones to form a low circular structure. We were told that this represents the resources of the dead rather than any cultural evolution. Rectangular structures were also built but none remain in any respectable state of repair.
Apparently the Inca works can be easily distinguished by their use of trapezoidal stones and for using a cylinder structure. But towers said to be of Inca origin did not all display these features to my eyes. The site is a raised peninsula, surrounded by a lake, and it is thought that this is significant, representing the importance of water.
The burial practices themselves conform to the usual standard. The graves were for important people and they would be buried with their belongings. Females (presumed concubines) were buried with them, but none of the corpses were interred. In the big tombs, the upper portion was simply filled with rocks. A small door was fitted which could be removed for occasional cleaning. Interestingly, we were told that the ruined state of the towers was due to lightning rather than the usual suspects. The area is rich in iron and attracts a good deal of excitement.
