As well as Lake Titicaca’s natural islands it also has around 40 man made islands. Woven from totora reeds, these islands are the homes and sometimes even the transportation of their creators the Uros people. These people have been living in this manner, constantly repairing their islands as they dissolve from the bottom up (each lasts around thirty years) or creating entirely new ones if the population fluctuates, since before the Incan civilisation. There are currently around 2000 Uros who survive by fishing, weaving and now tourism. Their houses are built on the reed islands from reeds, with about ten families on each of the larger islands and three or four on the smaller ones. They don’t shun technology though and some of the islands have out board motors and T.V.s powered by solar panels. According to Uros folk lore they existed before the sun and were once able to live under water. Their stories tell that they moved out onto their raft islands to protect themselves from the Incas and Collas. Walking on the islands is supposedly something like walking on a water bed.

Written by  World Reviewer Staff.

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