Puno: Festival Culture, Architecture and City Views

Candelaria in February

Every year in February, Puno hosts the festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria. It includes religious, festive and cultural events. Its roots lie in Catholic traditions and symbolic elements of the Andean worldview. If you want to travel for this festival, February is an essential point of reference for your planning.

The festival includes a procession through the streets of Puno, featuring traditional dances and music. It is a specific part of the program and offers a different perspective from viewing a single building: the focus is on movement through the city, as well as dance and music. If you include cultural events in your trip, you can consider this aspect alongside the religious context.

Buildings and places in the city

Puno Cathedral is an 18th-century religious monument and holds the rank of a basilica. Its stonework is attributed to the Peruvian stonemason Simón de Asto. This brings together the building’s historical period and the attribution of its stonework. The cathedral is opposite the Plaza de Armas; this clear location reference helps you place it in the cityscape.

Another religious landmark is the Templo de San Juan Bautista. It is the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Candelaria, the city’s patron saint, and is located in Parque Pino. Unlike the cathedral, which is opposite the Plaza de Armas, this location is identified by reference to the park. The two buildings can therefore be distinguished by their respective locations.

The Balcón de Conde de Lemos also has a precise location: it is on the corner of Deustua and Conde de Lemos streets. The Arco Deustua, in turn, is a traditional place for a stroll north of the city, three blocks from Parque Pino. For the arch, the direction and distance help with orientation; for the balcony, the street corner is the specific reference point.

City views, markets and a trip to the Uros Islands

The Mirador Kuntur Wasi offers panoramic views of the city of Puno. This is a different perspective from using a plaza, park or street corner for orientation: here, the focus is on the view of the city. If you like distinguishing individual buildings from the wider urban setting, these different ways of looking at the city complement one another as aspects of Puno.

Puno’s markets sell textiles and handicrafts made from alpaca wool. This offers a specific reason to shop, alongside architecture and festival culture. If you are interested in textiles or handicrafts, you can include this focus in your plans for visiting the city.

To travel to the Uros Islands, take a boat from the port of Puno; you can book the boat in the city. This trip differs from the places mentioned within Puno: the port is your departure point, and the booking is made in the city. As operating arrangements may change, check the booking options for your preferred date.

The festival, religious buildings, city views, markets and boat trip appeal to different interests. For your trip planning, you can use February as a reference point for Candelaria and choose the other highlights according to what you would like to experience in Puno.

Discover more destinations: Puno, Desaguadero, Copacabana and Puno.

Go to the main travel overview: Puno.