{"id":2274,"date":"2019-04-20T08:54:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-20T12:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/?p=2274"},"modified":"2023-05-23T10:22:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T14:22:01","slug":"bolivia-la-paz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/bolivia-la-paz\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolivia \u2013 Part 1 \u2013 La Paz"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Introduction<\/h2>

La Paz is a place to get high, constantly high. I am not referring to ingesting mind-altering drugs. Rather I am talking about being closer to the sun. Before I arrived, I knew La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at approximately 12,000 feet (3650 meters). I did not know that most walking there would be on steep slopes.<\/p>

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I did not know that there are cable cars crisscrossing between the surrounding mountains that are another 1,000 feet about the ground.<\/p>

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I did not know that the surrounding snowcapped mountains are even higher.<\/p>

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It quickly dawned on me how little I knew about almost every aspect of La Paz. At the end of my stay, I was convinced this is one of the most fascinating cities in the world.<\/p>

Our Story<\/h3>

My wife Khadija and friend Steve scheduled a hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for the beginning of May 2018. We decided to acclimate to the altitude by traveling to the Bolivian Altiplano (High Plains), situated between branches of the Andes Mountains.<\/p>

Bolivia is a two-part post. This part describes the highlights of our two active days in La Paz with all of the places we visited within walking distance of each other. Part 2 covers the cities of Sucre, Potosi and Uyuni. There is another post on Lake Titicaca which lies in both Bolivia and Peru.<\/p>

We found that acclimation is needed. We flew overnight from New York and arrived at a friend\u2019s apartment mid-morning. I had a headache and slept for a few hours. Khadija and Steve walked downhill to a grocery store twenty minutes away. Coming back up the hill in the hot sun, they found it was strenuous. During the afternoon, we had many cups of coca-leaf tea and conserved our energy.<\/p>

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Coca is a mild stimulant which helps as the body increase the red blood cell count in order to take in more oxygen from the thinner air. By the night, we were feeling better. The next day we had some fatigue but were able to do what we wanted. On the third day, we felt more-or-less normal.<\/p>

Plaza Murillo<\/h3>

In the historical center of the city lies Plaza Murillo. When La Paz was still a colonial city under Spanish rule, Murillo Square was the main water source in town, making it a hub of activity. Around the square are impressive buildings, some from colonial times including the National Legislature Building.<\/p>

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The pink one next to it is the Government Palace. This building, patrolled by red-uniformed guards, was the City Hall originally but now houses the Bolivian president\u2019s office. During its history, the building burned eight times and is now nicknamed Palacio Quemado, the Burned Palace.<\/p>

Next to the Government Palace is a cathedral dating from 1835. It was only competed in 1987 with the towers being the last component to be finished. The towers were built for Pope John Paul II when he came to La Paz in 1989. The Cathedral Basilica\u00a0of Our Lady of Peace is also called\u00a0La Paz Cathedral.<\/p>

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While the city Sucre has been constitutionally recognized as the capital since 1839 The seat of government was moved to La Paz sixty years later. Now it is known as the de facto or administrative capital. The metropolitan area of La Paz and the satellite city of El Alto has a population of over 1.3 million.<\/p>

While the buildings are impressive in the square, we had fun hanging out watching the children enjoy themselves.<\/p>

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We also saw a demonstration by indigenous woman.<\/p>

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There is a population of indigenous Aymara and Quechua women (\u201ccholas\u201d) throughout the country that wear bowler and other hats. They generally wear wide skirts, often in multiple layers and reaching to their ankles. There are differences in dress depending on where in the country they are from. They generally don\u2019t like to be photographed and will often cover their faces with hats or clothing if they believe they are being photographed. However, in this situation they did not have this issue, as they wanted the publicity for their protests.<\/p>

Quechua was the official language of the Inca empire and is spoken by over eight million today throughout the Andes countries. There are over one million Aymara speakers, mostly in Bolivia. These languages have common words stemming from centuries of living closely together, but are distinct.<\/p>

Mercado Rodriguez<\/h3>

Mercado Rodriguez is the largest food market in La Paz. The market boasts an incredible array of fresh produce as well as over two hundred varieties of potatoes. It also sells flowers, prepared food and household items.<\/p>

The mostly women vendors either have stands for their goods\u2026<\/p>

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\u2026or sit on the sidewalk.<\/p>

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While the vendors are of all ages, the majority are on the older side.<\/p>

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The market starts at the crack of dawn (best time to start photographing) and goes all the way until 10pm most nights.<\/p>

Museo Nacional de Etnograf\u00eda Y Folklore<\/h3>

MUSEF gives visitors an extraordinary look into the cultural history of the people of Bolivia. The museum entrance is in a colonial building that used to be a bank before it was repurposed and connected to a modern building to expand the exhibits. The facility houses many exhibits on indigenous art and iconography. Our favorite, by far, and the most popular is the \u00a0four-room spread of around fifty masks from different ceremonies and festivals throughout the country. Here\u2019s one of a mustached man.<\/p>

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Here\u2019s another of a puma.<\/p>

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Many Andean cultures venerated the puma as a symbol of strength and life. The Incas designed Cusco, Peru in the shape of a puma. \u00a0Pumapunku\u00a0(Door of the Puma) is part of a large temple complex from Tiwanaku, one of the most important pre-Inca empires.<\/p>

San Francisco Church and Plaza<\/h3>

A year after the founder of the city, Alonso de Mendoza, reached the site in 1584, the land was donated to the Franciscans and construction began on the church. This is not the original building, though, as the first church had collapsed in 1612 due to unusually high levels of snowfall. After this, it wasn\u2019t until 1743 that a new church started to be built.<\/p>

Today, the church is a minor basilica and there is a museum within part of the convent. The San Francisco Church is known for the intricate carvings on the outside and the sweeping neoclassical architecture on the inside.<\/p>

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The carved fa\u00e7ade has Catholic symbols, as well as ones from native mythology and artwork. By incorporating native beliefs, the Church was able to convert indigenous people to Christianity.<\/p>

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This is another area we spent hours watching the local people, including those in the modern world\u2026<\/p>

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\u2026 those in traditional dress\u2026<\/p>

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\u2026and commonly a crowd with a mix of contemporary and indigenous clothes.<\/p>

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Nearby is the Hotel Presidente where adventure seekers rappel or rap jump down the building at different heights.<\/p>