Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Floating Islands
Puno is situated between the shores of Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city. There is less
than two miles of flat land between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue
to expand upwards onto the hillsides. As a result, the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high
on the hillsides, often have very steep streets, which are generally unpaved and cannot be accessed by
automobile.
Up one of these streets is the Kuntur Wasi viewpoint, which has a large metal sculpture of a condor. There are
some 700 steps to climb to reach the sculpture, but the view across the city and Lake Titicaca beyond is
breathtaking.
During the celebrations of the Feast of the "Virgen de la Candelaria" and the Regional Competition of
Autochthonous Dances. Puno's access to Lake Titicaca is surrounded by 41 floating islands. To this day,
the Uros people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival, and
are a large tourist destination. Dragon Boat racing, an old tradition in Puno, is a very popular activity amongst
tourists.
Puno is the first major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of
Peru. It is the largest city in the Southern Altiplano and is the recipient of new residents from surrounding
smaller agricultural communities of people seeking better opportunities for education and employment. As
such, Puno is served by several small Institutes of Technology, Education and other technical or junior collegetype facilities. Additionally it is home to what is commonly referred to as the "UNA" or the Universidad Nacional
del Altiplano, which was founded in 1856.
Climate[edit]
As Puno is located at such a high elevation, it experiences more extreme weather conditions than would be
expected for its tropical latitude. The average annual temperature is about 15 C, and the weather never gets
overly warm. During the winter months from June to August, night-time temperatures usually drop well below
0 C. At this high altitude, the rays of the sun are very strong. Most of the annual precipitation falls during the
southern hemisphere summer, with the winter months being very dry.
Folklore[edit]
Music and dance are typical parts of the Puno folklore. The most important dances are the Wifala de Asillo, the
Ichu Carnival, the Tuntuna, the Khashua de Capachica, the Machu-tusuj, the Kcajelo, and the Pandilla
Punea.
Handicrafts[edit]
Textiles and other products created from alpaca, llama, or sheep wool are characteristic of the area. They also
make musical instruments like the siku (wind instrument) and the charango. The Toritos de Pucara are the
most impressive ceramic pieces made.