Something to listen

Bordering the Titicaca Lake

There are a lot of towns bordering the Titicaca Lake and I decided to visit one of them, Camacachi. It is located in the small part of Titicaca Lake known as Wiñay Marka. One can get there travelling by bus for about two hours. One takes a bus in La Paz which arrives to Tiquina. From there, one takes a boat to cross Tiquina Strait and from there one walks one hour and a half more or less.

From this town, I could see two small islands Suriki Island on the left and Taquiri Island on the right. Suriki is a very well known island because there, inhabitans built totora´s boats. Totora is a plant that grows up in the lake as seen in the second picture.

While walking I found a beautiful tree called cactus. I saw in many places this tree but I never saw it with flowers. I wanted to be nearer it but I couldn´t because it was protected by a lot of bees.

Sagrada Coca Group

"Uka jacha uru jutaskiway....

The big day will come ... says part of the song in aymara language played by a local folkloric group called Sagrada Coca.

With our ancestors

Last November 2nd. a lot of families went to the graveyard at Santiago I in El Alto in order to make a celebration with music.

WELCOME TO OUR ANCESTORS

These days are very important for us. November 1 at midday arrive our died relatives. This is a belief within indigenous cultures kept during long time ago. To receive them, we set a table with different types of bread baked by us. Bread may have different shapes as human shapes or the the shape of stairs. We also include a variety of fruits, flowers, sweets, a glass of purple maiz liquour, a glass of water, a dish of food. This table is adorned with coulorful sweets and ornaments to receive our relatives. At midday, a candle is lighted on to welcome them.

The belief says that they will return the next day, so November 2, we take all the things and we go to the graveyard. There, we put the table again and as there are a lot of prayers known as risiris, one by one they pray for our relatives. In order to thank them for that, we give a dish with bread, fruits and the things we prepared. This a is way to share what we have made for our relatives with people we don´t know.

At the graveyard, there is always music and dance as it was practiced more than 500 years ago by our cultures. A family stays at the graveyard about four, five or more hours. This is very important for the families because in this way the link with our ancestors is kept.