Lake Poopó is a large, shallow lake that makes up the eastern half of
the department of Oruro, which is where this manta was woven. We purchased it
from Mr. Martin Torres, who comes to La Paz from Tarabuco for a couple weeks at
a time to sell his wares.
Like the mining towns that dot its eastern border, Lake Poopó, the
second-largest lake in Bolivia, is subject to cycles of boom and bust; during
some years, its surface area reaches up to 3,500 km², while in other y...
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Like the mining towns that dot its eastern border, Lake Poopó, the
second-largest lake in Bolivia, is subject to cycles of boom and bust; during
some years, its surface area reaches up to 3,500 km², while in other years—1994 comes to
mind—the Lake has dried up and disappeared entirely. This is because it gets
almost all of its water from the Desaguadero River, which flows south from Lake
Titicaca; when Titicaca’s water level gets below 3,810 meters—well, it’s too
bad for Poopó.
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