Chipaya Canals Gallery

A selection of satellite images, which show some of the canals on the Bolivian Altiplano around Chipaya in the Salar de Coipasa, ORURO.

below, location of Chipaya north of salar de Coipasa seen as a lake in the wet season.

above, ground view near the village of Chipaya with typical circular houses

above, ground view near the village of Chipaya with typical conical houses

above, Chipaya landscape with canal

Above, remains of circular houses. In the wet season the landscape is flooded. The Uru people were originally called by themselves "kot'suns" which means "men of water" and lived in an aquatic environment. Flooding of the land brought fish and wild birds and a totally different way of life to European concepts. Some Uru peoples still live at the village of Chipaya, some in the region of Pampa Aullagas and others in lake Titicaca where they maintain the traditions of floating reed islands and make boats from totora reeds.

Above, village of Chipaya enclosed within boat shaped canal to protect from flooding.