Exploring Amantaní Island on Lake Titicaca
At a little less than 6 miles squared, Amantaní the largest island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. It has a population of approximately 800 families, split into 8 communities (Santa Rosa, Lampayuni, Sancayuni, Alto Sancayuni, Occosuyo, Incatiana, Colquecachi and Villa Orinojón). Boats begin leaving Puno for the Floating Islands of Uros and the Islands of Taquile and Amantaní at 8:30 each morning, with the trip to Amantaní Island taking almost 4 hours.
The island was conquered and assimilated by both the Incan Empire and the Spanish Conquistadores, and was sold in 1580 to Pedro González by King Carlos V. From that moment, the island was under the authority of local bosses descended from the Spanish. When strong droughts besieged the estate holders in the early 1900s, they sold the property little by little back to its native inhabitants. By the 1950s, the local peasantry had recovered the majority of the island and re-adopted a kinship- and reciprocity-based system economic and social system, in which most families tend to their land plots.
The island remains mainly agricultural, with islanders growing potato, oca, barley, and broad beans along the same terraces which have been used since pre-Incan times. You’ll notice quite a lot of grazing cattle alpaca as well.
The pace and style of life have not 
changed much in the last half-century, with the exception of Amantaní’s participation in sustainable, community-based tourism. You’ll notice that many locals still use traditional Spanish peasant dress from the beginning of the last century, with indigenous Andean elements found in the pouches, belts, and hats.
If you wish to spend the night on Amantaní, this will be in a homestay. About 50 families have accommodation for tourists, which are assigned to families on a rotational basis, not by the traveler’s choice. Accomodations are very basic, and cost around 20 soles per person including simple meals based on the local produce (which means you will find yourself eating quite a lot of potatoes and barley!) There are no streetlights, so a flashlight is useful if going out at night. There’s only one or two stores where one can buy water and snacks, but parties are held each night so that visitors have the opportunity to try the local dances and dress.
The variety and designs of the island’s popular weavings are similar to that of nearby Taquile Island. Although some might find this a little uncomfortable, it is very common for hosting families to attempt to sell visitors their hand-woven clothing. They tend to cost a little more than in Puno, but are still very affordable, and you’ll be buying directly from the artisans.
If you have free time while on the island, consider hiking up to one of the island’s two temples, Pachatata (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth). It takes about 2 hours to reach one of these ancient ruins, each of which are located on two hilltops, each offering good views of the island and Lake Titicaca. The temples themselves are only opened once a year although on January 20th half the population congregates at one, half at the other. A representative from each temple races to a midpoint between the two peaks, and the coming year is predicted based on which temple wins the race.
There certainly are many ways to wear more than one colorful accessory in an outfit. There really aren’t any specific formulas, and often it is just a matter of instinct and trial and error. However, going about it this way can be overwhelming to figure out. Therefore, today, what I am going to give are some neat little tips and tricks, that always work for me, to get you started. As they say, you have to crawl before you can walk. As you develop the confidence to wear more colorful accessories with these tips, my guess is that you’ll be able to evolve further and get even more creative in time.