Living over Water - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 265

FIGURE 14.31 Isla Taquile in Lake Titicaca.

FIGURE 14.32 Terrace farming on Isla Taquile. ( Continued )

inhabited since about 8000 bce, and agriculture established since 4000 bce (Jenkins
2003; Escandell-Tur 2003). Most remarkably, despite being part of the ecotourism indus-
try since the 1970s, the island still retains many of its local customs and traditions.
Visitors (termed “guests”) are welcomed by islanders dressed in traditional cloth-
ing (this is apparently not done just for photo-ops but many locals really do still
wear this garb even if no tourists are present) and greeted with a demonstration of
local craft-making and agricultural methods (Figure 14.33). After this, of course, the