Pukara Puno PERU Tour Review – Pre-history, Pre-Inca

Actually though you go here more to learn about pre-Inca cultures, the Pukara culture as early as 1800 BC—and especially to ogle ceramics in its small “Museum of Stone” that speak to the migration from Asia to Latin America, and Lake Titicaca area specifically. These artifacts come from the Pre-Inca . Our tour guide told us to look at the Asiatic eyes in the sculptures, citing many other similarities, including: gold masks found in both ancient Chinese and pre-Incan cultures; purple coccyx marks, similarly curved facial bones, and more –now also confirmed by DNA testing that shows a more than 70% genetic overlap.

Though it’s clearly a town where tourism reigns supreme, with blanket after blanket of nearly identical crafts lining the town square, it is nonetheless charming. With 20-20 hindsight, Pukara—like Andahuaylillas and Raqchi—would merit an overnight stay to soak up some local charm above and beyond the archeological sites they feature. That could potentially mean stretching an all day bus ride into 3 or more days—probably prohibitive unless one can stretch a Peru tour to three months.

Click here to read more Picture this Post travel stories by Amy Munice with photography by Peter Kachergis.