Amantaní Island, Lake Titicaca

Amantaní is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Puno. The island covers about 3.6 square miles (9.3 square kilometers) and is divided among ten communities whose inhabitants primarily speak Quechua.

Agricultural terraces extend across much of the island’s steep terrain. Families cultivate potatoes, quinoa, wheat and other Andean crops, traditionally relying heavily on manual labor. Sheep and other livestock are also raised on the slopes.

Amantaní is dominated by two hills known as Pachamama and Pachatata. Their summits contain ceremonial structures associated with the island’s religious traditions. Annual ceremonies reinforce relationships among the communities, the agricultural cycle and these sacred places.

The photographs from 2004 document cultivated terraces, livestock, domestic life, community gatherings and the high-altitude landscape of Lake Titicaca.