Two Festivals Collide on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca
The St James (San Santiago) Festival & Taquile Textile Art Fair
The island of Taquile in Lake Titicaca takes its name from Count Rodrigo of Taquila, under whose possession the island passed after it finally capitulated to the Spanish (the island was one of the final holdouts). Under the Inca Empire, it was known as Intika. It houses about 2,200 southern Quechua speakers. Taquileans live in a collectivist society whose local economy bases itself on fishing, potato farming (on pre-Columbian stone terraces), textiles, and tourism. All work is done to benefit the community, and work such as knitting, a male task, and weaving, a female task, is undertaken as part of the daily chores. In regards to the island´s approach to tourism, Munay Taquile is the agency created to ensure local community control the island´s tourism, which relies heavily on home stays. It is Taquile´s dedication to their traditional dress, dances, rituals, artwork, and way of life that makes the island such a popular stop among visitors to Puno.
The month of July is dedicated 
to festivities which are intended to honor Taquile´s patron saint, the Apostle James, and which don´t end until the apostle´s ascent on August 2nd, the eve of which will be marked by serenades, social dances, and fireworks.
This all coincides with the yearly Taquile Textile Art Fair from July 25th to August 5th. The island is known for its exceedingly traditional and communal way of life and for the unsurpassed quality of their hand-woven textiles, considered the best in Peru. Taquile´s textile art were proclaimed by UNESCO “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. All the Artisan Association´s families will participate throughout the week in the main plaza and brightly attired community members will sing and dance the Sicuris, Candelaria, Cinta K´ana and Taquilean Carnaval to the accompaniment of panpipes, Incan pinquillo flutes, and drums.
It all ends with the offering to the Pachamama, a fitting conclusion for a majority Andean Catholic population, where Christian beliefs meld with pre-Columbian adoration of the Pachamama, mother earth.
If you´re planning on visiting Taquile, which is usually grouped into tours with Amantani Island and the Floating Islands of Uros, you can contact Pirwa Travel Service with any questions or requests. Or just stop by Pirwa Hostel in Puno, whose reception area comes armed with reference maps and tourist information and whose in-house travel desk can provide you with whatever information or tour or transport arrangements you desire. You´ll find Pirwa Hostel just a 15 minute walk from Lake Titicaca Harbor and a couple blocks from Puno´s Main Square. Husband and wife team Jenny and Carlos and their friendly staff are always eager to meet new travelers and introduce them to the sights of Puno and Lake Titicaca.