Isla del Sol

The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, with fishing and tourism augmenting the subsistence economy.

Some linguists and archaeologists believe the name to be a corruption of titi (Andean mountain cat; lead, lead-colored) and qala (rock).

In the 1612 Aymara-Spanish dictionary of Ludovico Bertonio, the phrase Tahksi kala is listed as "piedra fundamental" or "foundation stone" possibly alluding to the origin story of the Inca that the Sun and Moon were born in the lake.

[3] The chronicler Bernabé Cobo documented two versions of an Inca origin myth that took place on the northern part of this island.

Isla del Sol was the first land that appeared after the flood waters began to recede and the Sun emerged from Titi Qala to illuminate the sky once again.

Excavations at the archaeological site of Ch'uxu Qullu, located on a small peak above the Bay of Challa, led to the recovery of Archaic Preceramic remains that radiocarbon dated to about 2200 BC.

The presence of Chivay obsidian is clear evidence that inhabitants of the island were participating in a wider network of exchange.

According to one bathymetric model,[6] there is no path between the shore edge and the Island of the Sun that does not pass over areas where the lake bottom reaches a depth of 200 m (660 ft) or greater.

[11] Today the economy of the island is mainly driven by tourism revenues, but subsistence agriculture and fishing are widely practiced.