Laguna de la Cocha History

History

By Lorraine Caputo

In ancient times, the Laguna and its Isla de Corota were sacred sites for the Quillacinga and other indigenous cultures. Centuries later, the Jesuits arrived on these shores and constructed a chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes on the Isla. Eventually, the Universidad de Nariño, recognizing the unique and fragile ecosystem of the isle, took it over and established a research center. In 1977 Isla de Corota was declared a Santuario de Flora y Fauna, and in 2000 40,000 hectares of the lagoon’s region fell under a Ramsar Convention, giving it protection as a páramo ecosystem of international importance.