Puno Region
Encyclopedia
Puno is a region
in southeastern Peru
. It is bordered by Bolivia
on the east, the Madre de Dios Region
on the north, the Cusco
and Arequipa
regions on the west, the Moquegua Region
on the southwest, and the Tacna Region
on the south. Its capital is the city of Puno
, which is located on Lake Titicaca
in the geographical region known as the Altiplano
or high sierra.
Puno was the territory of the Tiahuanacos (800 A.D. – 1200 A.D.) who were the highest cultural expression of the Aymara people that established themselves in what is today Peru and Bolivia. The Incas took over these lands in the fifteenth century, and the Spanish, attracted by the mining industry developed there, left an important Colonial legacy throughout the entire area.
Today, the city of Puno (3,287 masl), which lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, is the folklore capital of Peru and the site of the Feast of the Virgen de la Candelaria. In the outskirts, you can visit the spectacular Chullpas de Sillustani, a complex of impressive burial towers built by the Kollas, Juli, famous for its beautiful Colonial churches, Lampa with its vice royal church built between 1675 and 1685, Llachón, a community that still maintains its centuries old customs and cultural expressions, and Pucará, known for its pre-Inca pottery and for the "toritos de Pucará" that the artisans of today create from clay.
, which is the world's highest navigable lake, is located in the region. The Andean
mountains make up 70% of the region's territory, and the rest is covered by the Amazon rainforest
.
The lake contains numerous islands whose inhabitants continue to live as their ancestors have in custom and tradition. The Uros an example of this; this people group lives on "floating islands" that they have artificially made entirely of totora reeds, and they navigate in their traditional boats also made out of totora reeds. Taquile, Suasi, and Amantaní are knows for their kindness of their residents, their ancestral skill in weaving, their pre-Columbian constructions, and lovely countryside. The Titicaca National Reserve (36,180 hectares) protects extensive stretches of totora reeds and various species of plants and animals.
The climate is cold and dry, with a four-month rain season. On the other hand, the climate of the rainforest is warm. The water resources are taken from the Lake Titicaca, 50 lagoons and more than 300 rivers. There is also an important potential in underground waters.
is currently expanding in the Puno Region, with several tour operators and hotels ranging from low budget hostels to high-end hotels.
came later.
According to chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
, these ancient times coincide with the legend of Manco Cápac
and Mama Ocllo
, who emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca to found the Inca Empire
.
The Aymara culture, also known as Putina, was the most important and influential pre-Hispanic
culture in the region.
During the Viceroyship, Puno was the obliged route for travelers going to Potosí
, Bolivia
. In 1668, viceroy Conde de Lemos established San Juan Bautista de Puno as the capital of the province of Paucarcolla. Later, it was called San Carlos de Puno, in honor of the ruling king, Charles II of Spain
.
In 1870, the railway route Arequipa
-Puno was installed and navigation in Lake Titicaca started.
In 2007, a meteorite
landed in the region, triggering a widespread illness amongst the locals. The exact cause of the illness is unknown, but is speculated to be a result of arsenic or other toxic chemicals that may have been released by the heat of impact.
, 30.39% speak Aymara
; 0.05% speak Ashaninka; and 0.03% speak another indigenous langague. Monolingual Spanish speakers make up 28.1% of the population.
stated that promoting the breakup of Peru was "an act of sedition."
Regions of Peru
The regions of Peru are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Peru. Since its 1821 independence, Peru had been divided into departments but faced the problem of an increasing centralization of political and economic power in its capital, Lima...
in southeastern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It is bordered by Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
on the east, the Madre de Dios Region
Madre de Dios Region
Madre de Dios is a region in southeastern Peru, bordering Brazil, Bolivia and the Peruvian regions of Puno, Cusco and Ucayali. Its capital is the city of Puerto Maldonado. The name of the region is a very common Spanish language designation for the Virgin Mary, literally meaning Mother of...
on the north, the Cusco
Cusco Region
Cusco is a region in Peru. It is bordered by the Ucayali Region on the north; the Madre de Dios and Puno regions on the east; the Arequipa Region on the south; and the Apurímac, Ayacucho and Junín regions on the west...
and Arequipa
Arequipa Region
Arequipa is a region in southwestern Peru. It is bordered by the Ica, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Cusco regions on the north; the Puno Region on the east; the Moquegua Region on the south; and the Pacific Ocean on the west...
regions on the west, the Moquegua Region
Moquegua Region
Moquegua is a small department in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. The region's name is of Quechua origin and means "quiet place". The regional capital is the city of Moquegua, but the port city of Ilo is more commercially active....
on the southwest, and the Tacna Region
Tacna Region
Tacna is the southernmost region in Peru. Its name originates from the Quechua words taka and na , which would mean "a place to hit". This expression is thought to be related to the Quechua conquest of the Aymara people...
on the south. Its capital is the city of Puno
Puno
Puno is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 100,000. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of...
, which is located on Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
in the geographical region known as the Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
or high sierra.
Puno was the territory of the Tiahuanacos (800 A.D. – 1200 A.D.) who were the highest cultural expression of the Aymara people that established themselves in what is today Peru and Bolivia. The Incas took over these lands in the fifteenth century, and the Spanish, attracted by the mining industry developed there, left an important Colonial legacy throughout the entire area.
Today, the city of Puno (3,287 masl), which lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, is the folklore capital of Peru and the site of the Feast of the Virgen de la Candelaria. In the outskirts, you can visit the spectacular Chullpas de Sillustani, a complex of impressive burial towers built by the Kollas, Juli, famous for its beautiful Colonial churches, Lampa with its vice royal church built between 1675 and 1685, Llachón, a community that still maintains its centuries old customs and cultural expressions, and Pucará, known for its pre-Inca pottery and for the "toritos de Pucará" that the artisans of today create from clay.
Geography
The Puno region is located in the Collao Plateau. The western part of Lake TiticacaLake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
, which is the world's highest navigable lake, is located in the region. The Andean
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
mountains make up 70% of the region's territory, and the rest is covered by the Amazon rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
The lake contains numerous islands whose inhabitants continue to live as their ancestors have in custom and tradition. The Uros an example of this; this people group lives on "floating islands" that they have artificially made entirely of totora reeds, and they navigate in their traditional boats also made out of totora reeds. Taquile, Suasi, and Amantaní are knows for their kindness of their residents, their ancestral skill in weaving, their pre-Columbian constructions, and lovely countryside. The Titicaca National Reserve (36,180 hectares) protects extensive stretches of totora reeds and various species of plants and animals.
The climate is cold and dry, with a four-month rain season. On the other hand, the climate of the rainforest is warm. The water resources are taken from the Lake Titicaca, 50 lagoons and more than 300 rivers. There is also an important potential in underground waters.
Tourism
TourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is currently expanding in the Puno Region, with several tour operators and hotels ranging from low budget hostels to high-end hotels.
Political division
The region is divided into 13 provinces (provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 107 districts (distritos, singular: distrito). The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are:- AzángaroAzángaro Province- Political division :The province measures and is divided into fifteen districts:- External links :...
(AzángaroAzángaroAzángaro is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Azángaro in the region Puno.The colonial church in Azangaro is known as the golden temple. In the adjacent Plaza San Bernardo, Pedro Vilca Apaza was drawn and quartered for his role as a General in Tupac Amaru II's attempt to liberate...
) - CarabayaCarabaya ProvinceCarabaya Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Macusani.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into ten districts:- External links :...
(MacusaniMacusaniMacusani is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Carabaya in the region Puno....
) - ChucuitoChucuito ProvinceChucuito Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Juli.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into seven districts:...
(Juli) - El CollaoEl Collao ProvinceEl Collao Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru, created in 1992. The capital of the province is the city of Ilave.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into five districts:...
(Ilave) - HuancanéHuancané ProvinceHuancané Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Huancané.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into eight districts:...
(HuancanéHuancanéHuancané is the capital of the province of Huancané in Peru. The town is located about north of Lake Titicaca. The majority of Huancané's 7,000 residents speak the Aymara language....
) - Lampa (LampaLampa, PunoLampa is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Lampa in the region Puno.- External links :...
) - MelgarMelgar ProvinceMelgar Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Ayaviri.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into nine districts:...
(AyaviriAyaviri, MelgarAyaviri is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Melgar in the region Puno.-References:...
) - MohoMoho Province- Political division :The province measures and is divided into four districts:...
(MohoMoho, PeruMoho is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Moho in the region Puno.-References:...
) - PunoPuno ProvincePuno is a province in the Puno Region, in southeastern Peru. It borders the provinces of Huancane, San Román, El Collao and the Moquegua Region's province of General Sánchez Cerro. Its capital is the city of Puno, which is located at the edge of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake...
(PunoPunoPuno is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 100,000. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of...
) - San Antonio de PutinaSan Antonio de Putina ProvinceSan Antonio de Putina Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into five districts:- References :...
(PutinaPutinaPutina is a town in southern Peru, capital of the province San Antonio de Putina in the region Puno.Quechua word means boiling water.It was found in May, 24 1595....
) - SandiaSandia ProvinceSandia Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Sandia.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into ten districts:...
(SandiaSandia, PeruSandia is a town in Southern Peru, capital of the province Sandia in the region Puno.-References:...
) - San RománSan Román ProvinceSan Román is a province in the Puno Region of Peru. It borders the provinces of Lampa, Azángaro, Puno, Huancane, the Arequipa Province of the Arequipa Region and Moquegua Region's province of General Sánchez Cerro. Its capital is the city of Juliaca, which is also the region's second-largest city...
(JuliacaJuliacaJuliaca is San Roman's capital city in Puno Region, which is situated in southeastern Peru. It is the region's largest city with a population of 225,146 inhabitants , on the Altiplano, Juliaca above sea level, is located in the Collao Plateau and it is northwest of Lake Titicaca...
) - YunguyoYunguyo ProvinceYunguyo Province is a province of the Puno Region in Peru. The capital of the province is the city of Yunguyo.- Political division :The province measures and is divided into seven districts:- External links :...
(YunguyoYunguyoYunguyo is a town in the Puno Region in southeastern Peru. It is the capital of Yunguyo Province and Yunguyo District. It has a population of 12,625 .Yunguyo is located on a peninsula on the shores of Lake Titicaca...
)
History
In ancient times, the Collao plateau was inhabited by Aymara groups (Collas, Zapanas, Kallahuayos and Lupacas). The QuechuasQuechuas
Quechuas is the collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in South America who speak a Quechua language , belonging to several ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.The Quechuas of Ecuador call themselves as well as their...
came later.
According to chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
, these ancient times coincide with the legend of Manco Cápac
Manco Capac
Manco Cápac was the legendary first Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco and a figure of Inca mythology. There are several versions of his origin story, which connect him to the foundation of Cusco.- Inti legend :In one myth, Manco Cápac was a son of the sun god Inti and Mama Quilla, and brother of...
and Mama Ocllo
Mama Ocllo
In Inca mythology, Mama Cora Ocllo was deified as a mother and fertility goddess. In one legend she was a daughter of Inti and Mama Quilla, and in another the daughter of Viracocha and Mama Cocha. She was the sister and wife of Manco Cápac, and discovered Cuzco with him. She taught the Inca women...
, who emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca to found the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
.
The Aymara culture, also known as Putina, was the most important and influential pre-Hispanic
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
culture in the region.
During the Viceroyship, Puno was the obliged route for travelers going to Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. In 1668, viceroy Conde de Lemos established San Juan Bautista de Puno as the capital of the province of Paucarcolla. Later, it was called San Carlos de Puno, in honor of the ruling king, Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
.
In 1870, the railway route Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
-Puno was installed and navigation in Lake Titicaca started.
In 2007, a meteorite
Carancas impact event
The Carancas impact event refers to the fall of the Carancas chondritic meteorite on September 15, 2007, near the village of Carancas in Peru, close to the Bolivian border and Lake Titicaca. The impact created a crater and scorched earth around its location...
landed in the region, triggering a widespread illness amongst the locals. The exact cause of the illness is unknown, but is speculated to be a result of arsenic or other toxic chemicals that may have been released by the heat of impact.
Language and ethnicity
Indigenous people are the majority in the Puno region. , 41.4% of Puno's inhabitants speak QuechuaQuechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
, 30.39% speak Aymara
Aymara language
Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia...
; 0.05% speak Ashaninka; and 0.03% speak another indigenous langague. Monolingual Spanish speakers make up 28.1% of the population.
Current events
In March 2008, the regional President, Hernán Fuentes, declared that he seeks to push for the region's secession from Peru in order to establish an independent state. Fuentes has refused to help his local government organize a nationwide test for public sector teachers and promotes the cultivation of the coca leaf, often used to make cocaine. Then-Peruvian Prime Minister Jorge Del CastilloJorge Del Castillo
Jorge Alfonso Alejandro Del Castillo Gálvez is a Peruvian lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Peru. He is also a member and current Secretary-General of the Peruvian Aprista Party...
stated that promoting the breakup of Peru was "an act of sedition."