Taquile Island
TAQUILE ISLAND
Peru
Taquile is one of those islands that makes you wonder if utopias can actually exist. It’s a community of men who knit and women who weave. Life rules are simple. It’s an island with a curious culture. An island where you can go back in time.
Photo Story Below
One of the best days ever began with a tired, cold, and rainy boat ride. To be honest, we were exhausted and not in the best spirits. It’s funny how quickly a day can change.
Nothing a little music can’t fix.
2 hrs later our boat docked at our first stop - Taquile Island. FYI these were not our boats, we took a highspeed boat so we could travel much faster!
Look at this cutie! The children on Lake Taquile are all very shy, which is a stark contrast to the children who live on the Uros Islands who are bold and playful. Interesting because both cultures live on the same lake. My camera even had a hard time capturing his portrait!
Got it!
I found it fascinating that crime is non-existent on this Island. No police stations are necessary.
Meet our socially responsible tour guide. There was so much passion in teaching us about a different culture. To the left he is holding up a hat with stitching so tight you can hold water in the hat, thats how you know it is a good one! Men have to impress women with the quality of their knitting. To the right he introduced us to the mayor of Taquile Island!
We were welcomed with music and dancing.
Traditional clothes are still worn till this day. So much can be identified by color and position. Here is the breakdown: Single women wear colorful clothes. Married women wear mostly black. Single men, or men who are on a trial basis, wear white and red hats. Married men wear red. Men who wear their pom-pom to the back are under 18, men who wear there pom-pom to the side are older.
Colorful hats are worn by those of high position, and those positions are rotated every few years. I loved learning that both men and women hold high positions, and that women have always been treated as equals.
We were shown traditional knitting and weaving techniques.
These women spin wool in all their spare time and you will see them walking around the village with their spinners by their side, giving no thought to it as it has become second nature.
Flirting is a interesting ritual. Young boys and girls will use mirrors to catch the light and reflect it on each other to catch someones attention. Some of you may wonder what do they do when it rains and the suns not out? They throw rocks at each other. I think picking on someone you like when you are young is universal.
Everyone was so warm and were genuine about sharing their culture with us.
A lot of meaning can be found in a hat. Fathers weave dreams into their childrens hats with designs. Single men have different looking hats compared to married men. Hats in the shape of the Catuna flower, the national flower of Peru, are for babies. Even the size of a pompom matters. Women who are married have small pompoms on their shawls; single women wear large pompoms. A funny fact, sometimes single women will hide rocks in their pompoms to keep away pesky suitors.
You can see our guide holding the Catuna flower next to the baby hat.
If you want to get some textiles anywhere in Peru, get them here. Not only are they the best crafted and genuinely authentic, they also support and give back to the community of Taquile Island. These people literally spend their whole life knitting. Each piece is truly art. They are awarded by UNESCO. I bought the beautiful pair of colorful fingerless gloves, as seen in the picture above, and in the midst of my excitement (they were perfect for taking pictures!) our guide laughed at me and said they were a practice piece for a young boy first learning to knit. Even the ‘practice pieces’ are amazing. Boys start learning to kit at the age of 6.
After learning about the community, we spent some time walking, hanging out on the beach, and bumping into the locals.
Dancing in the center of the Cosmos.
We did our ‘earthing’ for the day which is connecting to the energetic charge of the earth by walking around barefoot. It’s supposedly one of the most energetic places in the world, considered to be the position of the Earth’s sacral chakra. It’s not everyday you get to dance and take in the energy of the Solar Plexus Chakra of Mother Earth #yolo
We met a lot of kids on the beach. This little boy was on a mission to build a boat.
Starting to get hungry… We then took a short boat ride to the other side of the island. They prepared us a meal they usually only do for big celebrations. But they made it for us so we could experience their special tradition. A shaman blessed out food which has been cooking all day under that pile of dirt! We then watch as they uncovered our meal piece by piece.
Mother natures oven.
Excited to see whats underneath the earth.
Beans were toasted on top.
Then stones were removed one by one until they completely deconstructed the natural oven.
Looks like the protein.
You can always guarantee potatoes will be part of any Peruvian meal.
I think the soup is in the orange pot.
The finished product. Not even exaggerating, this was the BEST meal we had in Peru.
We decided this would be a good time to try Inca Kola.
Needless to say, this was an INCREDIBLE experience. Our hearts were full. I highly recommend All Ways Travel. They pride themselves in practicing the ancient Quechua principle of “AYNI”: giving and receiving, between travelers and local people; exchanging, sharing and helping each other. AYNI is exactly what we experienced. My only regret is doing the 1 day tour. Next time we will do a longer tour and explore even more.
The tour continues to the Uros Islands. Post coming soon!
Until next time!