At an altitude of 3,812 meters, Lake Titicaca is not only the highest navigable lake in the world but also, according to magical Inca legends, the origin of Mother Earth, its first inhabitants, the sun and the moon. On the 52nd anniversary of International Earth Day, under the motto "invest in our planet", the great Titicaca is in a critical moment due to pollution and climate change.
Aware of this reality, Juan Cruz Aruquipa, of the indigenous Aymara people and Peruvian entrepreneur of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, from the shores of the lake, where he lives, has appealed to his neighbors, " I urge all producers to take care of Lake Titicaca. Not just now, but for many more years to come. Our kids might continue living in the lake and we have to look after it."
Juan Cruz Aruquipa, Peruvian entrepreneur of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, of the indigenous Aymara people, with his wife and business partner, Graciela Velásquez, and their children.
According to a report by Peru's National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (SENAHMI), published in June 2021, the Titicaca's water level was 0.85 meters below its historical level due to droughts, and they warn that this could have devastating consequences for the biodiversity and for the people who depend on the lake for their livelihoods. Pollution, partly caused by tourism, is also contaminating the lake.
With the same sense of commitment that Juan feels, a group of indigenous people, Las Mujeres Unidas en Defensa del Agua, who live in communities near Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia, have joined forces to collect plastics, bottles and papers in an attempt to restore the Lake to its "sacred'' state and do their part to thank it for what it has given them for generations to those known as “the children of the sun”.
Graciela and Juan's son, his future and that of Lake Titicaca will depend on their efforts.
“We here are Aimaras, we are workers, fighters, we like to work and progress, with strength, with determination”.