It is a very large lake with an altitude of almost 4 km and has many scientific mysteries, such as “why do marine species who live in the Pacific Ocean live in this lake?”, and “why does the water of the lake have the same salinity than seawater?”
There are many mysteries and legends about this lake. It is said that when the Spaniards arrived in Cuzco, the natives took a golden chain out from the temple of the Sun, and throw it into the lake, so it could never be in the hands of the invaders. The expedition of the famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau never found gold, but they did find the remains of the stone buildings.
The Titicaca Lake has more than 30 islands, of which the most famous ones are the floating island that belong to the Uros. The last member of the Uros’ Tribe died in 1959, but his descendants are still alive and live in islands with reed houses, and follow the customs of their ancestors. They fish, haunt birds and make use of the riverside vegetation, including reeds for the construction of houses, boats and their own islands.
