Floating reed islands: the most exotic Indian settlement

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The construction of artificial archipelagos in Dubai has become one of the most ambitious projects of the 21st century, but few people know that the first man-made islands appeared on our planet centuries ago. The idea of their creation belongs to the ancient Uros tribe … Fleeing from the Incas, resourceful Indians built a whole "floating" city of reeds on Lake Titicaca, and their settlement exists to this day.

The Uros Indians were once expelled by the Incas from their lands, and they had no choice but to find a way to settle right on Lake Titicaca (where their pursuers drove them). The reservoir has long been considered a sacred place, the uros believed that it was impossible to commit violence on its waters, so they completely relied on its protection and … began to build small rafts from reeds, of which there were a great many in the vicinity. Gradually, the rafts grew into whole islands, on which later even small huts were built. The islands reached impressive sizes: each could have an average of 20 houses.

To make the reed strong, it was dried in a special way, pre-soaking in water until elastic. It took several months to build a full-fledged island, its thickness reached 3-4 meters, although this did not guarantee solid ground underfoot. In any case, water seeped through the bottom, and the reed itself bounced like a shock of hay.

Such islands "lived", according to scientists, up to 30 years with proper care, although they required constant "repair". On the central island there was an observation tower, from which the territory of the island was monitored. All islands were anchored, tied to wooden piles or boulders. They were moved only in case of danger or a sharp change in the water level.

Over the years, local residents have adapted to such unusual conditions: they used reeds to make flour for baking bread, and were engaged in fishing and hunting. The islands even had special fireplaces and tiny "silt" beds for growing vegetables.

Today the Uros tribe numbers just over three thousand people, although only a few hundred people live on the islands. Young people try to move ashore to get education and work, many keep the islands for themselves as a tourist attraction, because there are always a lot of people willing to look at such exotic things. Although travelers rarely manage to see a real authentic setting: the keepers of the ancient traditions of the uros have long since sailed on their islands deep into the lake, where annoying sightseers do not come.

A video about what travelers who get to Titicaca still manage to see. Titicaca is not the only one an unusual island that has its own secret … We invite you to find out about 19 more mysterious islands …