Artisan Mariela

Mariela was born and raised in the Uros floating islands of Lake Titicaca off the coast of Puno. When Mariela was a child, community members often lived in bigger islands, so it was easier to spend time with one another in community. Growing up, Mariela has fond memories of playing with her neighbors on the big islands. As tourism grew, Mariela’s grandmother and mother would make artifacts from the totora to sell to tourists visiting. Mariela would accompany them, and would sometimes get candy from the tourists. Back then, the families on the islands did not have access to a diverse diet. They relied on trout and other fish from the lake for sustenance, and limited items available to them that they could either grow themselves or be brought from the mainland.

As time went on and tourism grew, families began building their own islands and the Uros region shifted heavily to accommodate and earn income from tourism. More and more individuals began building their own separate islands for their families, and islands for hotels or villas (sometimes referred as “rooms”). When Mariela met her partner, they decided to build their own island and build a room for lodging to bring in more income. To make their lodge a reality, they had to take out loans for all of the building materials and labor. Bringing the materials like the glass, bathroom, and furniture via small boat back and forth between the port and their new island was labor, money, and time intensive. While it was an intense investment, it was worth it for Mariela and her husband, and they could not have done it without the support of their family and friends.

Below, you can see pictures of Mariela and her husband’s complete lodge room, which they call Flamenco Lodge. The lodge also features some of Mariela’s Uros style artisan work that her mother and grandmother passed down to her.

Mariela’s pregnancy was unexpected - after experiencing some dizziness while cleaning the room for guests one day, Mariela realized she was expecting. As her pregnancy progressed, Mariela found that she could not keep up all of the work she was doing between house chores like cooking and cleaning.

Totora & Climate Change

The Uros Islands are a group of artificial floating islands on Lake Titicaca, inhabited by the Uros people, an Indigenous group with a history that predates the Inca civilization. These islands are constructed entirely from totora reeds, a versatile plant that grows abundantly in the lake. Totora plays a vital role in Uros life-it is used not only to build and maintain the islands but also to construct their homes, boats, and even for food and medicine. The islands require constant upkeep, as the reeds at the bottom decompose over time and must be replenished regularly with fresh layers on top. The Uros people have mastered this technique, passing it down through generations. Mariela and her husband replace the torora on their island every 15 days.

Over the past couple of years, Mariela and her family have seen changes in the climate and in the lake that has affected the totora.

Lake TITICACA’s Changes Over time

Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest and largest navigable lake. However, the lake has experienced many changes recently that have impacted the local ecosystem. Mariela remembers how high the water level was when she was growing up. Port Kalapajra, which is the closest port from mainland Puno to where Mariela lives with her family, has significantly dried up in the past couple of years. As pictured above, the original port is now almost completely dried up as the water continues to recede. Changes in rain patterns and more intense heat has left the health of the ecosystem in question for the Uros people.