Puno is a city in southeastern
Peru, located on the shore of
Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the
Puno Region and the
Puno Province with a population of approximately 149,064 (2014 estimate). The city was established in 1668 by viceroy
Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno. The name was later changed to San Carlos de Puno, in honor of king
Charles II of Spain. Puno has several churches dating back from the colonial period; they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the natives.