Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni or Salar de Tunupa is the largest mirror in
the world. It more often called Salar de Uyuni than Salar de Tunupa. Salar
means salt in Spanish, and Uyuni means pen or flats in Aymara language. Uyuni is
also the name of the city where the tourists stop before go to this place.
Salar de Uyuni is located in Daniel Campos Province in PotosÃ
in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of Andes. It is at an altitude of 3.656 meters
above sea level.
This 10.000 kilometers flat is a salt flats. The largest salt
flats in the world. About 40,000 years ago, this place was part of Lake Minchin,
a large lake in prehistoric times. When it dries, there are 2 lakes left, and 2
large salt flats, Salar de Coipasa and Salar de Uyuni.
In the rainy season (November-March), a layer of rainwater
creates a mirror-like surface as smooth as glass. In the dry season
(May-Oktober), its geometric salt patterns imprint the earth, seemingly
stretching beyond the horizon. In wet season, three of the world’s six species of flamingo
can be found here: the Chilean, Andean and the James’ Flamingo.
In the beginning, I said that Salar de Uyuni also called
Salar de Tunupa, but people more often called it Salar de Uyuni. It’s because in
the Aymura Legend. Long time ago, the three mountains that now surround this
place, Tunupa, Kusku, and Kusina, is a giant. Tunupa and Kusina are women, and
Kusku is a man. Then, Tunupa was marriage with Kusku. But Kusku run away with
Kusina. Tunupa cried while nursing her child. Then the tears and breast milk of
Tunupa fell to the earth, mixed together and formed a salt flat. Because of the
respect of the local residents for Tunupa, they preferred to call the salt flat
Salar de Uyuni rather than Salar de Tunupa.
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