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27-427: The Orinoca District is located at 18°58′S 67°15′W  /  18.967°S 67.250°W  / -18.967; -67.250  ( Orinoca ) , 3,800 m above sea-level, on the western shore of Lake Poopó , 180 km (115 mi) south of Oruro . Its extension from north to south and from east to west is 35 km. In December 2015, the lake was declared dried up, except for some marshy patches. People in

54-477: A wrangler , specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos . Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world work at identical tasks and have obtained considerable respect for their achievements. Cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia , perform work similar to

81-513: A harmonious system of exchange of goods and services. Other investigators examining the following period, the Early Regional Developments ( c. 300 – 900 AD), have concluded that the size of the inhabited areas increased. The South Poopó inhabitants developed a unique style of ceramics style with triangular spirals. The east portion of the lake has evidence of an important Tiwanaku enclave , with ceramic styles from

108-523: Is Aymara , spoken by 97.0%, while 76.7% of the population speak Spanish and 43.3% Quechua (1992). 71.4% of the population are Catholic , 17.5% are Anglican Protestant (1992). The village of Isallawi in the Orinoca District is the birthplace of Evo Morales , President of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. 97.5% of the population have no access to running water or sanitary facilities ; 100.0% have no electricity (1992). The rural population

135-465: Is largely dedicated to agriculture ( potatoes , wheat , corn and onions ) and raising herds of llamas and vicuñas . Orinoca is accessible only by road; a bus service that reaches the town twice a week. The district is subdivided in the following subdistricts and hamlets and villages ( localidades ), in brackets the population of 2001: Poop%C3%B3 Lake Lake Poopó ( Spanish : Lago Poopó Spanish: [ˈlaɣo po.oˈpo] )

162-501: Is often done either on foot or mounted . Depending on the type of animal being herd, the English language can give different professional names, for example, cowboy for cows, shepherd for sheep, or goatherd for goat. Herders may be distinguished by sex ( e.g. , herdsman, herdswoman or herdboy) or by the type of livestock, for example camelherd, cowherd , duckherd, goatherd or shepherd . Tibetan herding communities living in

189-694: The San Andrés University of La Paz , Bolivia, shows the influence of the Wankarani culture in the Poopó area. Complex central urban areas , such as villages and towns, were developed that expanded into the Poopó basin during the Late Formative period, (200 BC – 200 AD), probably in conjunction with changing patterns of agriculture. Herders and the life style of llama caravan merchants coexisted with more sedentary farmers in

216-569: The Tibetan Plateau in the Sichuan Province of southwest China continued to graze herds on common lands even after the 1982 Household responsibility system . Several reasons have been given for the endurance of the traditional pastoral lifestyle: Grassland degradation has been an issue. Herding communities and their leaders have taken steps to reach a consensus about sustainable grazing practices. These include developing

243-506: The Andean flamingo and the Andean condor . A total of 17 higher plants and 3 species of algae were identified in and around Lake Poopó. Due to the constant drought and flooding, the littoral zone experienced great disturbances. As a result, there was hardly any vegetation to be found on the shores of the lake. The sparse communities nearby have suffered culturally and financially due to

270-463: The Poopó basin. These metals are naturally present in the bedrock , from which they are released through weathering processes. The mining activities in the area further contributes to the heavy metal pollution . Acid leaching from mines and mechanical processing of ore speed up the process. The major part of the heavy metals transported to Lake Poopó were immobilized in the bottom sediments. But concentrations of arsenic , lead , and cadmium in

297-556: The area ecologically sustainable again, with the help of funding from the European Union . But the efforts have been unable to offset other changes: since 1995 regional temperatures have risen and consequently tripled evaporation rates. In addition, water was drawn off for mining and irrigation, compounding the problems. On 20 January 2016 the area was declared a disaster zone by the Bolivian government. The water of Lake Poopó

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324-411: The area had relied on the lake for water for personal and agricultural use. The population of the district increased at 34.0% from 1,259 inhabitants ( census 1992) to 1,687 inhabitants (2001). There is no urban population in this district. 44.9% of the population are younger than 15 years old; the rate of literacy is 77.7% (1992). According to studies in 1992, the most spoken language in the province

351-520: The community political organization to enforce commitments to seasonal rotational grazing . A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America , traditionally on horseback , and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called

378-510: The core Titicaca area and surrounding styles, demonstrating the interactions between different peoples in the area. The main inlet of Lake Poopó (roughly 92% of the water) came from the Desaguadero River, which entered the lake at the north end. It flowed south from Lake Titicaca . There were numerous smaller inlets along the eastern shore of the lake, many of which were dry most of the year. At times of very high water levels, Poopó

405-583: The cowboy. There are numerous regional types of cow herder, many with a specific name; these include the stockman of Australia, the buttero , campino , csikós , gardian and gulyás in Europe, the buckaroo , charro , cowboy and vaquero in North America, and the gaucho , huaso , llanero , morochuco and qorilazo  [ es ] of South America. A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep . Shepherding

432-516: The drainage area. These could also contribute to the salinity of Lake Poopó. The lake body was situated on top of Cenozoic deposits, consisting mainly of unconsolidated material. These sediments are the remains of extensive prehistoric lakes, which covered the Altiplano during at least five glaciation periods. There is a long tradition of mining in the Poopó Basin. Extraction of metals

459-507: The lake had completely dried up, leaving only a few marshy areas. Despite the lake rebounding from two previous recorded drying instances, as of 2016, the lake's recovery is considered unlikely. Suggested causes of the decline are the melting of the Andes glaciers and loss of their waters, because of a drought due to climate change , as well as continued diversion of water for mining and agriculture. Archaeological investigations conducted by

486-433: The lake water exceeded Bolivian and World Health Organization guideline values for drinking water. There were only three fish species in the system: the native pupfish Orestias agassizii and catfish Trichomycterus rivulatus , and the introduced silverside Odontesthes bonariensis . The lake had a relatively large fish population, but by 2017 pollution and the near-complete reduction of water had all but decimated

513-469: The locally important fishing industry. The aquatic bird life was very diverse, with a total of 34 species. Most famous are the three species of flamingo ( Andean , James's and Chilean ), which mainly lived in the shallow lagoons in the northern and eastern parts of the lake. An inventory of the bird population, made in 2000 in cooperation with BirdLife International , identified 6 threatened species and others that are near-threatened . Among these are

540-506: The loss of the lake, as the local economy was dependent on lake fishing. Additionally, many bird species native to Bolivia and internationally have been affected due to loss of food, and an annual migration area. Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals , usually on open pasture . It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. The work

567-445: The surface of Lake Poopó. At this point, the lake volume began to decrease. At its maximum in 1986, the lake had an area of 3,500 km (1,400 sq mi). During the years that followed, the surface area steadily decreased until 1994, when the lake disappeared completely. The time period between 1975 and 1992 was the longest period in recent times when the lake had a continuous water body. Action has been taken in order to make

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594-460: The water increased towards the south. The salinity varied with water volume. During October and November 2006, the salinity in the north end of the lake varied between brackish and saline (15–30,000 mg/L). In the south end of the lake the water was classified as a brine (105,000–125,000 mg/L). The water type was a 4–2 Na-(Mg)-Cl-(SO 4 ). Geological sources of sodium chloride (NaCl), such as halite and feldspars , are present in

621-564: Was a large saline lake in a shallow depression in the Altiplano in Oruro Department , Bolivia , at an altitude of approximately 3,700 m (12,100 ft). Due to the lake's length and width (90 by 32 km; 56 by 20 mi), it made up the eastern half of Oruro, known as a mining region in southwest Bolivia . The permanent part of the lake body covered approximately 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi) and it

648-425: Was connected to the salt desert Salar de Coipasa in the west. A minor outlet led to Salar de Uyuni in the far south of the Altiplano, but as the lake lacks any major outlet, it is classified as an endorheic basin . When the water level of Lake Titicaca was below 3,810 m (12,500 ft), the flow of Desaguadero River was so low it could no longer compensate for the massive water losses due to evaporation from

675-441: Was highly saline. The salinity was a result of the endorheic nature of the hydrological system on the Altiplano, which allowed all weathered ions to remain in the system. The salinity of Lake Poopó was further increased by the arid climate and the high evaporation from the lake surface. In the northern end of Lake Poopó, dilution of the salinity occurred due to freshwater flow from the Desaguadero River. The salt gradient of

702-637: Was ordered in the 13th century to support the Inca army. After Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the mining operations increased in scale. At this point the region became known as one of the mining centres of Bolivia. The mining districts are situated at the foothills of the Cordillera Oriental along the eastern border of the Poopó basin. The most important minerals to the economy are silver and tin . Studies have shown elevated concentrations of heavy metals in surface and ground waters of

729-569: Was the second-largest lake in the country. The lake received most of its water from the Desaguadero River , which flows from Lake Titicaca at the north end of the Altiplano. Since the lake lacked any major outlet and had a mean depth of less than 3 m (10 ft), the surface area differed greatly seasonally. In 2002, the lake was designated as a site for conservation under the Ramsar Convention . By December 2015,

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