THE PEOPLE OF THE TITICACA LAKE.

The vast Titicaca Lake stretches 58,000 km2 across two countries, Peru and Bolivia, and sits at a high altitude of 3812m. It is the World's highest navigable Lake and the birthplace of the Inca people.
There are two main groups of descendants from ancient civilizations in Southern -Peru -the Quechua and the Aymara- speaking people. Puno is the only place in the World where you can find people from the two groups living unanimously together. Above Puno towards the North, there are only Quechua-speaking people, while in the South are the Aymara-speaking group.
The people of the Titicaca Lake have created a unique culture and a fascinating way of leaving a life around the vicinity of the city of Puno, Southern Peru. They pre-dates the Inca civilization preserving most of their ancient and unique way of living to this day. They consider themselves the guardians of the Lake and their chosen way of life protects them from foreign influence. They also claim to have a type of black blood that let them not to feel the cold temperatures of the region. They are World famous for their peaceful beauty and well-preserved traditional agrarian culture.
On the Titicaca Lake there are over 60 little floating villages with 4,000 people, that their people have constructed with natural resources. Using reeds (Totora, a strong aquatic plant), they build temporary houses that float atop the water surface.
The islands are made from layers of dried reeds that are woven together and fixed to the bed of the lake to stop them from moving. An island can last up to 30 years if it is kept in the right condition. When the reeds at the bottom rot from the water, new layers of reeds have to be added every 2 weeks for better resistance. The process of rebuilding the island requires constant maintenance and is one of the mainly daily tasks for the people of the Lake. Every floating village is inhabited by 8 families.
The people of the Lakes build boats and huts from the same reeds using similar technique to that of the islands.
The people of the Titicaca Lake lead a very simple life, catching food from the Lake, exchanging fish for any products they need and getting all their basic necessities from the environment. They maintain a light and healthy diet based on trout, quinoa, potatoes, oca, and a variety of herbs. The food is cooked with fire placed on a pile of stones. They do not eat meat products due to the peculiar atmospheric conditions caused by the region's high altitude. Food takes longer to digest than at sea level.
The people of the Titicaca Lake are completely self-sufficient. They weave their own clothes and materials. The quality of their garments and fabrics fills them with pride. Once the women are ready to settle down, they begin wearing colorful pompoms on their hats to announce they are ready to marry. If they are successful, they wear a red dress, meaning "married."
The people of the Titicaca Lake do not need money to survive as they get everything they need from their natural surroundings without destroying it.