The Andes Part 8: La Paz (continued)

The official name of the city is La Ciudad de Nuestra Senora de La Paz (The City of Our Lady of Peace). It was founded by the Spanish in 1548. Now the population is a bit over one million.

Iglesia de San Francisco.

Iglesia de San Francisco.

The oldest building in the city is the church of San Francisco. Founded in 1548, it collapsed after a heavy snowfall and was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its mixture of Spanish and mestizo styles is typical for Bolivian churches.

Iglesia de San Francisco.

Stonework, Iglesia de San Francisco.

Streets of La Paz.

Narrow, steep streets fan out from Prado (the area around the church), up the slopes. As you climb them, you pass beautiful colonial buildings, little markets, and surprisingly few churches, before reaching modern, poor areas.

Streets of La Paz.

Llama embryos for sale, Mercado de Hechiceria.

Kids at a market, La Paz.

Llama embryos for sale, Mercado de Hechiceria

Just behind the church of San Francisco is Witches' Market (Mercado de Hechiceria). It mostly offers pseudo-Inca souvenirs, herbs, talismans, and various handicrafts, plus more unusual stuff such as mummified llama embryos for sacrifices.

Black sorcerer, Mercado de Hechiceria

White witch, Mercado de Hechiceria

Museo de Etnografia y Folklore, La Paz.

North and east from Prado is the city's finest colonial district, a relatively small area of narrow streets lined with little restaurants, art galleries, museums and government offices. The Presidential Palace and the city's new (1835) cathedral are also here.

House door, La Paz.

In front of the Presidential Palace.

Calle Jaen, La Paz.

The most colorful street is charming Calle Jaen. It is a dead-end street and ain't easy to find without a good map, but once you are there, you can spend a whole day diving into tiny cafes and one-room museums. It's the best place in La Paz to visit with a girlfriend.

Calle Jaen, La Paz.

Looking around the city, La Paz.

Calle Jaen, La Paz.

Worth a visit are Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Museo de Etnografia y Folclore, Museo de Metales Preciosos Pre- Colombinos, Museo Nacional del Arte, Museo de Textiles Andinos, and Museo de Instrumentos Musicales

Calle Jaen, La Paz.

Poor neighborhood, La Paz.

City girl, La Paz.

Museo Textil, La Paz.

As in any Andean town, a visit to a large market can be as interesting as a day in a museum. There are some beautiful textiles, wool clothing, stone carvings, jewelry and pottery, plus unusual food items (tubers are particularly diverse).

Handmade textiles at a street market, La Paz.

Southern La Paz.

Dry coca (Erythroxylum coca) leaves, La Paz.

Coca leaves are extremely important in Andean culture, and are sold freely on local markets. For the last 30 years, the USA has waged a war against local coca industry, spending 1.5 billion dollars on "coca eradication". The only results were violence on both sides, chemical pollution from aerial herbicide spraying, and total loss of any good feelings towards the US by large segments of local population.

On a bus, La Paz.

Southern La Paz.

Valle de la Luna, near La Paz.

If you follow Rio Choqueyapu southeast, down the canyon, the landscape begins to resemble Utah or Arizona. High-rise buildings along the river are surrounded by weird eroded formations of all shapes and colors.

Valle de la Luna, near La Paz.

Valle de la Luna.

Valle de la Luna, near La Paz.

These endless rock and clay badlands are called Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) and Valle de las Animas (Valley of Spirits).

Valle de la Luna, near La Paz.

Cascavel rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus), Valle de Las Animas.

Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi), Valle de la Luna.

			After exploring the dry valleys, it's time to return to La Paz for more fun.
	Andean hairy armadillo, Valle de la Luna.			Andean hairy armadillo, Valle de la Luna.

Andean lapwing (Vanellus resplendens), El Alto.

Part 9. La Paz (continued)

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