Just over 100 km southeast of Puno is Pomata (US$0.50 from Juli, US$1.70 from Puno), a quiet, attractive town overlooking the lake.
The church of Santiago Apóstol (0700-1200, 1330-1600, free, but give a donation and a tip to the guardian) is built of striking red sandstone. Construction was started by the Jesuits in 1532, and finished by the Dominicans. If the colectivo does not enter town, get out by the barracks (cuartel) and walk up. It stands on a promontory above the main road and has wonderful carvings in Andean mestizo baroque of vases full of tropical plants, flowers and animals in the window frames, lintels and cornices. The windows and font are of alabaster. The beautiful interior contains statues, painted columns, a Spanish tiled floor, paintings of the Cuzqueña school and a cupola decorated with figures whose florid, stylized bodies have linked arms. Beneath the Altar of El Señor del Sepulcro is an altarpiece covered in all the tools used in the construction.
At Zepita, near Desaguadero, the 18th-century Dominican church is also worth a visit.
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