Nuestra Señora de La Paz, as the city of La Paz is officially called, is the capital of Bolivia. It was founded in 1548 by the Spanish capitan Alonzo de Mendozo. The name commemorates 'la paz' (peace) after a civil war, in what is today Peru, between two Spanish conquerors, each that were seeking to gain more power and riches. After 'the federation war' of 1899, between the oligarchs of the north and south, and the subsequent triumph of the north, the capital was moved from Sucre to La Paz. Today, La Paz is the economic, political, and cultural centre of Bolivia.
During my stay in Cochabamba, a compañero had offered me a room that would become available in a month. My initial plan was to travel to La Paz and explore the surrounding region then return in time to move in. A Bolivian proverb says: 'everything is possible, nothing is certain'. This was to become descriptive of my plans.
On the evening of Tuesday, June 17, I departed on a 7 hour bus ride to La Paz. I arrived at 5:30 in the morning, checked into a hotel, and explored the quiet streets of La Paz. Essentially, my time in La Paz was characterised, until recently, by watching South American World Cup qualifiers, or the European Cup; visiting museums; but more so, attending cultural and political events.
Bolivia's indigenous heritage is still preserved and practiced; the Spanish were unable to conquer certain parts of Bolivia due to the organised indigenous resistance, and during the Inca empire cultural autonomy existed and was respected. Bolivia has three primary indigenous groups: Aymara, Quechua, Guarani, each with their own language; with most being multilingual.
June 21 marks the Aymaran New Year 5,516 (the Aymaran calendar has 13 months). The ancient archaeological site of Tiwanaku, about 2 hours north-west of La Paz, is the historic area to celebrate the Aymarn New Year. The event attracts between 30,000-50,000 people, most are Bolivians that identify themselves as Aymaran, and, of course, tourists. A mini-bus at 2:00am shuttled me there, where icy temperatures awaits to greet me. The small town seems like a massive festival: music, booze, and hoards of people. At times I observed the old generation vent their disgust at some of the young people, who were blind drunk and on the verge of passing out. Unfortunately, for some it is an excuse to drink; however, for others the event holds more cultural significance. At around 4:00am most people begin to line up to enter the archaeological ruins. A traditional ritual takes place before sunrise (all in Aymaran so I couldn't understand anything). The climax is willkakuti (return of the sun), it signals the new year, and people extend their frosty hands to receive the rejuvenating energies of Inti (sun). The ceremony was attended by the indigenous president, Evo Morales. After the ritual, several groups put on a traditional autochthonous performance, and then the dancing begins.
Recently, I have found myself hanging out with individuals who range from journalists, photo-journalists (some from Associated Press), academics, PhD students, political activists, and other intellectuals. On occasion it has been by coincidence that I would be attending an event, and these same people would be there. Most are acquainted with each other and socialise in similar groups. Some are foreigners and others are local. Yet most of them are connected, one way or another, to a middle-class group called Comuna, a political group that the vice-president, Àlvaro Garcia Linera, participated in, and still does on occasion.
The cultural, political and social events that La Paz offers was the catalyst for me to settle here -at least until September, after which I will return to Santiago, Chile, to visit my parents, and commemorate and celebrate the events of September. Yesterday was my first stay in my new apartment, located in a middle-class suburb called Sopochaci (comparable to New Farm or West End). However, the reality of Sopochaci is distinct to that of the rest of La Paz; at times it feels like another world: pretentious restaurants with WiFi spawn here, petite-bourgeois families walk through the plazas where beggers break the fabric of illusion. The apartment is the attraction - quiet, and illuminated by natural light that shines through clear plastic roofing. No longer am I confined to a small hotel room. Neither will I be confined to Sopochaci. I intend to dedicate time to reading, writing, and participating further in the process of change.
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Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44385&l=39dd9&id=732774973
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44392&l=c5ca2&id=732774973
Cities I have visited
Odyssey visits
