City
Puno is one of Peru's foremost tourist destinations and one of the most
interesting spots on the continent. Few cities lie by the shores of such
a extraordinary body of water as Lake Titicaca, the world's highest
navigable lake.
Legend has it that from the waters of Lake Titicaca emerged
Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, the mythical founders of the Inca empire.
The area also gave rise to one of the greatest pre-Inca civilizations,
that of Tiahuanaco, the maximum expression of the ancient
Aymara people.
The Spaniards founded the city of Puno in 1668. It is a city rich in
local mestizo art, the fusion of native and Spanish styles in its colonial
balconies, weavings and pottery. However, a greater attraction lies a
bare 10 blocks from the main square: Lake Titicaca, which covers
an area of 8,560 square kilometers and which local fishermen row
across on rafts made from totora, a type of reed that
grows along the shore.
There are also motorboats for hire for visitors.