Copacabana

Copacabana sits on a neck of land between two bays of Lake Titicaca at 3,840 metres, and it has been a place of pilgrimage since long before the Spanish: the site was sacred in Inca and pre-Inca practice, and the shrine that replaced it holds the Virgin of Copacabana, carved in the 1580s by Francisco Tito Yupanqui, an Andean sculptor descended from the Inca royal line. She is the patron of Bolivia, and her cult travelled with Portuguese and Spanish devotion far enough that beaches in Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere carry the name. The white Moorish-styled basilica dominates the town. Vehicles are blessed on the forecourt with flowers, garlands and beer. Boats leave the harbour for Isla del Sol.

History

Before 1534 Copacabana was an Inca outpost, held as the key to the ancient shrine and oracle on the Island of Titicaca, long revered by the Aymara, and after the Spaniards reached the islands in 1534 and 1538 the Dominicans made it the centre of their missions, later handed to the Augustinians in 1589. In 1582 an Inca descendant, struck by statues of the Virgin he had seen in La Paz, carved after many attempts the image placed here as the town's protectress; its chapel, the Camarin, came through the uprising of 1781 untouched, though the basilica lost most of its rich ornaments during the wars of independence (Wikipedia, Copacabana, Bolivia).

What to look for

• The basilica - the white shrine church and the dark carved Virgin.
• Vehicle blessings - cars decorated with flowers on the forecourt.
• The lake harbour - boats leaving for Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna.
• Cerro Calvario - the stations climbing the hill above the town.

When to go

May to October is the dry season with the clearest lake light. The main festivals fall in early February and early August and fill the town completely. The lake is cold and the sun fierce at this altitude in any month.

Good to know

At 3,840 metres altitude affects most arrivals, particularly those coming straight from the lowlands. The town is heavily geared to pilgrims and visitors, with pressure around the harbour. Boat schedules to the islands are limited. Nights are very cold year round.

Nearby

Isla del Sol lies offshore; La Paz is southeast beyond the Tiquina crossing.