The main heart of Taquile island is reached by some 525 gruelling steps up a steep hill from the small stone harbor. The island has been inhabited for over ten thousand years, with agriculture being introduced about 4000 BC. It was dominated by the Ayamara-speaking Tiahuanuco culture until the thirteenth century, when the Incas conquered it and introduced the Quechua language. In 1580, the island was "bought" by Pedro Gonzalez de Taquile and so came under Spanish influence. It wasn't until 1937 that the residents – the local descendents of the original Indians – regained legal ownership by buying it back.

©Erwin Bakx 2001