Lago Titicaca

Lake Titicaca, straddling the border of Peru and Bolivia, is the world’s "highest navigable lake." This means that: 1) the lake is really high – it´s at an altitude of nearly 12,500 feet; and 2) that the lake is big enough and deep enough for large commercial ships to move across it.

Just how large is the lake? It is 3200 square miles of water. At its deepest, Lake Titicaca is 1214 feet deep! It´s the 19th largest lake in the world. However, compared to my hometown lake, Lake Michigan, it’s about seven times smaller -- but about 300 feet deeper.

An inland sea called Lago Ballivian used to cover this region before geological faults and evaporation dropped the water level to where it remains today.

The name Titicaca comes from the Aymara language and means “Puma’s Rock” -- due to an interestingly shaped rock on one of the largest islands in the lake. And, speaking of islands, Titicaca has more than 70. The largest of which, Isla del Sol, contains over 180 Incan ruins. The Incan people believed that creation occurred on Isla del Sol when the sun and moon mated to create the Incan people. Interestingly, the pre-Incan civilizations also believed that the sun rose out of the lake each morning. 

The lake is surrounded by snowcapped mountains which adds to its beauty and undoubtedly contributes to the lake’s mystique.

I spent a few days on and around Lake Titicaca. I visited three of the islands and spent the night with a family on one island. It was wonderful to meet these people and experience a small part of their traditional lifestyle.

There are two other interesting facts I must mention. First, it was in the area around Lake Titicaca thousands of years ago that the potato, the tomato, and the common pepper were all first domesticated. It seems much of Latin American cooking owes a big thank you to the people of this region!

And my favorite fact of all: while Bolivia is a landlocked country (it does not border an ocean or sea) they have a navy. Since Lake Titicaca is so vast, and since it also borders another country, Lake Titicaca is home to the Bolivian navy.

To be fair, when they created the navy, Bolivia had a border on the Pacific (which they since lost to Chile in a war). But after the loss of ocean access they maintained their navy for Lake Titicaca and the Amazon river tributaries that flow through Bolivia (to prevent smuggling and drug trafficing). 

Regardless, I find the "armada on the lake" charming!

               

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