The birthplace of the Sun and the Moon
22 04 2007Last night we stayed at a hospedaje (US $2.50 for the room) in the village of Challapampa on the northern end of Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, after watching the sunset over the Roca Sagrada and nearby labyrinth ruins and sacrificial table. This island is said to be the birthplace of the Inca society, whereby the sun and moon both rose from the Roca Sagrada, which has the shape of a reclining Puma that looks in the direction of Cuzco, Peru (where they have another quasi-famous Incan archeological attraction).
We had no idea what itinerary to follow but wound up doing the following. Upon landing on the island at the town of Yumani (on the south side) via the afternoon boat from Copacabana, we climbed the 206-step Inca Stairway (hard work at about 12,500 feet (3800 m)) then hiked for 3 hours to the north side of the island where we tipped a guide to explain the Roca Sagrada and nearby labyrinth and sacrificial table to us. The labyrinth ruins were supposedly a training site for Inca priests and contains a spring well dug into the center of the ruins where water still flows today. Controlling the flow of water was popular with the Incas, evident also near the aforementioned stairway, at the top of which is a three-spring fountain said to be the fountain of youth.
Anyway, the scenery was great. Hiking the ridgetop trail from the south to the north of the island allowed views of the nearby Isla de la Luna and other islands. Isla de la Luna is where the Inca priests raised the virgin girls who were to be sacrificed, one every season. The girls were raised ignorant of their future trip to the sacrificial table on Isla del Sol.
Back to our trip. We ate dinner in Challapampa (I had chicken fajitas!?) a few buildings away from our hospedaje. We got up around 7 and hiked back, along a coastal trail on the east side of the island, passing through several small villages. We then got a ride back to Copacabana on the 10:30 bus.
Mom, I got your souvenirs from an Amara woman on the island in the southern village of Yumani, during our return hike this morning. I am not going to say what they are - it’s a secret.
Hmmm….”my” souvenirs….I’m obviously very curious! Once again I feel like I’m climbing those stairs with you all. It’s amazing how much you are getting from each stop on your voyage! I’ve found and highlighted (thanks to the nice map Dianne sent me) most of the places you all have visited. It really does help follow your journey, at least on paper. Love the blogs and photos….can’t wait to see you soon!
Love, Mom (to be)
Mom, don’t forget to also click on the ‘Map’ button occasionally (it’s on the menu bar above on this website). It’s a pretty cool feature I added right before we left town in January - I might have forgotten to tell you about it. Oops.