The Island of the Moon (Isla de la Luna) at 3,812 meters (12,507 ft) above sea level, lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
Image by ER’s Eyes – Our planet is so beautiful.
Isla de la Luna is situated east from the bigger Isla del Sol. Both islands belong to the La Paz Department of Bolivia. According to legends that refer to Inca mythology Isla de la Luna (Spanish for "island of the moon") is where Viracocha commanded the rising of the moon. Ruins of a supposed Inca nunnery (Mamakuna) occupy the oriental shore.
Archaeological excavations indicate that the Tiwanaku peoples (around 650-1000 AD) built a major temple on the Island of the Moon. Pottery vessels of local dignitaries dating from this period have been excavated on islands in Lake Titicaca. Two of them were found in the 19th century and are now in the British Museum in London. The structures seen on the island today were built by the Inca (circa 1450–1532) directly over the earlier Tiwanaku ones.
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Lake Titikaka:
Elevation to surface: 3,812 m (12,500 ft)
Area: 8,372 km²
Maximum depth: 281 m (922 ft)
At 12,500 feet above sea level, Lake Titicaca is one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world. It’s also the largest lake in South America by volume of water. Lake Titicaca has a maximum length of 118 miles and a maximum width of 50 miles. The average depth of the lake is 351 feet, although some parts of the lake are over 900 feet deep.
Lake Titicaca boasts a rich cultural history that spans thousands of years. Incan mythology claims that the lake was the site where civilization first began. It was here that the first Inca king, Manco Capac, is said to have been born of the sun god. The gods later created a wife for him, and together they founded a tribe that would eventually grow into the Inca Empire that dominated much of South America before the arrival of Europeans in colonial times. More than 180 ruins and monuments remain in the area as testaments to the architectural prowess and cultural beliefs of the ancient groups of indigenous people that inhabited the region long ago.
