Puno is a city in Peru, population 80,000, located on Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake, at 12,421 feet.
Legend has it that the Inca believed that Manco Capac, their founder, emerged from the lake magically. Puno is surrounded by 41 floating islands, and to this day Uros still depend on the lake for their survival.
The area surrounding the city was where the Aymara civilization started.
On the Peruvian side of the lake is Puno, an unattractive commercial center settled as a Spanish community in 1668 by the Count of Lemos.
Although today Puno seems unappealing, during the Spanish period it was one of the continent's richest cities because of its proximity to the Laykakota silver mines discovered by brothers Gaspar and Jose Salcedo in 1657.
Puno is the stepping-off point for exploring Titicaca with its amazing array of islands, Indian inhabitants and colorful traditions.
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