puno

Introduction to Puno

Ice-cream vendor on Titicaca's waterfront. Photo Santi LLobet, CC License.

For some 400 years, Puno was the territory of the Tiahuanaco people, a pre-Columbian culture that occupied vast extents of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile. Known for their monumental architecture –characterized by large stones of exceptional workmanship– and their ceramics, Tiahuanaco fell to the Inca Empire in the 15th century. The actual city dates back to 1668. Spanish viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro founded it following the discovery of rich silver mines in the surroundings.

The truth is, current-day Puno is an unpretentious city in many aspects. Largely unsound and with few city-within attractions, it's located on the stark Andean highlands of southern Peru, amid frosted plateaus populated by llamas and alpacas. It though bosoms the profound blue waters of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 3,860 m.a.s.l. (12,421 feet), a beautiful and magical extension of mirror-like blue waters.

Moreover, Puno has always been a melting pot of Aymaras and Quechuas, the two largest Andean ethnic groups. It hoards a rich artistic and cultural wealth, particularly regarding traditional dance, ad is accordingly considered the folkloric capital of Peru.