Amantani
Amantani is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. According to a 1988 census, it has a population of 3,663 Quechua speakers divided among about 800 families. The island is circular and about 9.28 km in size. There are two mountain peaks on the island, Pachatata (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth), with ancient Inca and Tiwanaku ruins on top of both. The hillsides, which are mostly worked by hand, are terraced with stone walls and planted with wheat, quinoa, potatoes, and other vegetables. Livestock, including alpaca, also graze the slopes.
The temples at the top of the peaks are generally closed during the year. Entrance is permitted on January 20, the annual feast day, at which time the island's population divides in two, with each group gathering at its respective temple. A race is then held from each peak to a point somewhere between the two, and a representative of each group is chosen to run. According to tradition, a victory for Pachamama portends a bountiful harvest in the year to come.
Similar to the Taquilenos, the inhabitants of Amantani are also known for their textiles, as well as their ceramics. Most of the inhabitants live in houses of adobe. There is a small health clinic and school on Amantani, and, while there are no hotels, some families offer meals and overnight lodging to tourists. In return, guests are expected to bring food (such as rice or sugar) as a gift. The island has no cars and is powered for only a few hours a day by a generator.
Amantani is known as the "Island of the Kantuta", after the national flower of Peru and Bolivia, which grows plentifully on the island.
References
Jordi Gascon, Gringos como en suenos: Diferenciacion y conflicto campesino en los Andes Peruanos ante el desarrollo del turismo. Lima: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos. ISBN 9972-51-121-9
CBC - "INKA POWER PLACES, SOLAR INITIATIONS" ISBN 978-9972-9384-5-0 by Mallku Aribalo
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Amantani
