Travel Guide Isla Taquile

The small island of 7 km², covered with terraced crops, lives a form of primitive communism, as under the Incas where it served as a place of deportation for political prisoners. If the property is private, the work is collective. Customs and costumes have been the same for centuries. Tassels play a key role in social life: their presence on the shawl worn by women indicates their status as married women; men, in addition to their tassel cap, hang a small coloured coca bag on their woven belt (fabrics strangely similar to those of the Basque Country), characteristic of the status of married man... Another characteristic feature: the women spin wool on their wooden spindles, while walking, while the men knit hats, stockings, gloves and scarves, which are then sold by the cooperative in the main square. From the heights of the village, which you reach after climbing more than 500 steps (be careful, if you are not yet acclimatized to the altitude it can be a bit difficult), the magnificent view of the lake, the bay of Puno, and further on Bolivia in the mists as well as the Altiplano rewards all your efforts. As well as the night spent close to the stars, which we will never have seen so close, on the island dimly lit by lamps powered, like ovens and stoves, by the solar heat, preciously stored during the day. A unique experience awaits you in Taquile, where textile art has been recognized as a "Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. Entrance S/ 8.