The Three People You Meet In Bolivia

Obviously there are more than three types of people here in Bolivia, but these are people that I have found myself constantly interacting with.

1.  The Taxi Drivers:
   Some of the taxi drivers pick you up, ask you for your destination and the only other words that are exchanged during your ride are about the cost of the ride.  Then there are the very talkative ones that want to know all about your life and have a secret love affair with the USA.

 Example 1:  Coming home from my friend Caro's house a very nice taxi driver drove me home and his daughter was fast asleep in the front seat.  We chatted about why I was in Bolivia, where I was from, etc.  He proudly told me that he had family in Virginia and that he hopes to visit them soon (which is actually a very common place for Bolivians to live, many of the Bolivians I know that have family in the states have family in Virginia!)  We didn't discuss anything profound, but it definitely beats sitting in silence in the cab.  He was also very patient with my slower Spanish and answered all my questions about the city!

  Example 2:  We had class at our professor Ismael's house and instead of taking two different micros and spending about an hour to get there, I took a cab which was only 15 minutes!  The way there nothing too exciting happened, aside from the taxi driver trying to convince the Gringa that she had the wrong address, I definitely didn't and made him drive up and down the block until we found the house -- it was the correct address!  Anyway, on the way home almost the first question out of the taxi driver's mouth was "Where are you from?"  I answered from the US and he was immediately very excited and asked me where, I told him Pennsylvania and to give people perspective I usually say it's under New York because almost every Bolivian knows where NYC is!  And he said "Pennsylvania... la campana de libertad??"  (Liberty Bell) and I explained that was far away from me and that I was from Pittsburgh, where the Steelers play and his next statement was "You lost on Sunday!"  I was so taken aback that he knew we had lost that I couldn't even respond, so thinking I hadn't understood he repeated himself.  I only knew we lost because my mom told me the day before, so how on earth does this man know!?  It turns out he loves ALL SPORTS and has a cable package that lets him watch fútbol americano and 'his team' is the San Francisco 49ers!  We also talked about the Wilstermann vs Bolivar soccer match, golf, the Premier League in England and he listed all the other sports he loves - aka every sport ever invented.  It was a very lively conversation and completely unexpected.  His name is Mauricio and some day he hopes to go to a 49ers game in the states.

2.  The People That Can Speak English:
 Surprise, surprise, in Bolivia they speak Spanish.  And even though my sister Valerie can speak English well, and the rest of my family can understand the basics, they are not supposed to let me speak any English in the house and that way I learn Spanish much faster!  But then there are the relatives... my uncle (who is actually close to 6'6"!!) loves to greet me with a very straight "HELLO" and a handshake, which is not how you greet people in Bolivia - some even consider it rude! Everyone is greeted with a kiss on the cheek, and a brief hug - no matter if it is your mom or your sister's friend from high school that you just met, it is all the same.  But, because he knows I'm from the states I think he likes to show me that he knows our customs, just like I know theirs.  And it doesn't bother me, it's a very nice gesture (although it does make me wonder if people think I can only speak English... but we'll go with the 'nice gesture!')  Anyway, it's very nice but switching to English when talking to Bolivians is harder than you'd think.  For example, my mom's coworkers came for lunch on Saturday and she introduced one professor as being able to speak English very well and after the introductions, this woman began asking me questions in English and my instinct was to answer in Spanish... but she was speaking English, but we were in Bolivia and well my brain just hurt trying to come up with what to do!  Eventually I responded in English, but it probably took longer than any response I gave in Spanish!  Luckily my host mom stepped in and gently 'reminded' both of us that I was in Bolivia to learn Spanish!  My final example are the people you run into on the street.  While crossing the street, or waiting in line if you move out of the way most people say "Gracias" but every once in a while someone will tell me "Thank You."  I don't know these people well, or even to what extent they can actually speak English but it is always startling to realize the reason you understood something was because it was in English!

3.  The Rebels:
  I don't mean 'rebel' in the sense that they listen to angsty music and cause trouble.  I'm talking about the people that are part of Bolivia's history.  Many of the people here in Cochabamba were part of La Guerra del Agua (The Water War) which happened in 2000 when the Bolivian government tried to privatize water.  Almost immediately water bills were up 200%+ and no one was having that -- so they rebelled, really I don't blame them.  And because it happened rather recently, from a historical standpoint, many of the people here were part of it.  For example many of our lecturers will say things like "I was in the courthouses in Cochabamba when they opened fire..." or "I was in La Paz for work during the Indigenous marches and did x, y, z..."  and all of us are in awe, and they are talking about it like it was just another day.

On Tuesday we had class at my professor Ismael's house where we watched films and talked about the dictators of Bolivia and it turns out he was held in a government run political prison for four months during Banzer's reign!  He made a film about it -- which is awesome (the link is below) -- but I never would have  guessed and it just makes me respect him even more.  I guess because Bolivia is still struggling on so many levels even today, that these events are just part of everyone's life story and being part of this coup, those protests or that march is commonplace when you're in Bolivia.

http://vimeo.com/48098585 -- "80" a film by Ismael Saavedra


It is very true that these are the people I interact with most often.  But I think this post was truly sparked because an SIT alumnus (of 2005) came back to Bolivia to visit his host family.  We first met him in Sucre where he surprised Ismael, Heidi and Patti and he then accompanied us to the Masis concert.  And we all kind of put him out of our minds after that.   Then on Monday he presented his ISP documentary to us, and we got to ask him questions about the process, what he's doing now, what he wants to do and really just pick his brain about his time in Bolivia and life after SIT.  And for me, the most important thing he said was that we should use our time in Bolivia and our time researching to foster relationships, because those relationships are the things you are going to remember.  What you think you know changes, but relationships and people are the things that sustain us.  It was a brief presentation, but a very profound and eye opening one nonetheless and something that I will definitely try to keep in mind, even after Bolivia.  Because what he said has been very true in my world thus far, so maybe I'm already fostering those relationships, or maybe it started with the three people that I've met in Bolivia.


To cultivating relationships and all the people I have yet to meet,
Carly

Rough Patches

After this post I should be all caught up!!! Here's hoping!!! :)

We landed in Cochabamba Sunday afternoon and I was glad to be back, but it was quite a struggle to get a cab.  We were explicitly told to only take radio taxis, so I figured an airport taxi was off limits.  (Turns out they are actually safe, just a little more expensive... I guess I'll know for next time.)  So I called for a radio taxi and the operator told me there weren't any... I waited about 20 minutes and called again.. still no taxis.  So then I called my host sister and had her call one for me.  The taxi arrived, but instead of picking up the red head as he was instructed, the driver picked up a Bolivian family.  So I had to call my sister back and have her send yet ANOTHER taxi and eventually made it home after over 2 hours of waiting... but I was greeted by my older sister and my younger sister's boyfriend with hugs and kisses and an invitation to lunch!!

I quickly changed and we were off to our extended family's house for lunch.  The night before my classmates and I celebrated the festival of the Virgin in true Bolivian fashion:  with lots of alcohol, so I was still feeling some of the effects... but that doesn't matter here!  I was offered tumbo liquor and when I said I drank a lot last night, my uncle said, "But you're in Bolivia! It doesn't matter, what will one more do?!"  So we all drank, and drinking at family events in Bolivia is not casual sipping.. when someone offers you a drink, you chug it and then refill it and you down it again.  (Or at least in my experience!)  My immediate family kept hiding their glasses so they wouldn't have to keep drinking... but that didn't always work, any empty glass was considered fair game when the pitcher was being passed around!  Also, because I am new to Bolivia everyone wanted me to try EVERYTHING and a lot of it, especially the liquor.  Random family members would come up to me and say "Carly, lo probaste?" (have your tried this?) and even if my answer was yes, I was given at least half of it!  It was quite exhausting, but fun nonetheless!  It definitely helped that there was a lot of food and plenty of water!  And somehow I ended up being the most competent sister at the end of the meal, although I'm really not sure how!  In total there were probably 30 family members and no one even bothered to give me their names:  it was tio, tia, primo or prima!  (uncle, aunt, cousin, cousin) and that was probably for the best as the few names I managed to hear I forget by the time we left... And in Bolivia it is customary to greet everyone in the room, so when I arrived, I went around and kissed and hugged 30 people and when we left, we did the same!  It wasn't too overwhelming as I had met a few of the family members before and everyone was very accepting of the 'new daughter' in the Coronel family, but it was a lot after a week long trip of new information, new places and celebrating!  But I made it through without making any very apparent blunders, and on the ride home fell asleep in the car!  When we finally got home, after dropping some extended family off, I wandered up to bed and passed out until the morning.  It was 7:30pm... 

The next morning I woke up to go to class, as I always do.  I was able to take a shower with hot water, ate my usual breakfast with my 'coffee' and because I had no more clean clothes, donned one of my favorite dresses that I haven't yet worn in Bolivia.  It's a simple, dark blue fitted jersey dress with tiny white stripes.  And although it's fitted, it's a bit longer and I wore a loose cardigan and a big scarf over it to keep it more conservative... well it turns out that didn't matter.  My walk to the micro stop, the 3 blocks to class and the 5 blocks to the micro stop to go home were filled with cat calls, whistles, stares, inappropriate comments, and men coming up to my face and giving me that ever suggestive 'look.'  I am used to street harassment.  Living in Chicago for a year taught me to ignore it and I only ever had one or two instances when I had to cross the street or get on another train.  But here in Bolivia, maybe because I'm aware of the machismo attitude and because most people view American's as "loose" I was not okay with all of those cat calls.  When I went home for lunch I had to change and that was hard.  I love wearing my skirts and dresses and to not be able to dress how I want because of the attention I get was a hard realization to swallow.  That combined with the taxi struggles and I think the realization that I am actually living in Bolivia for 3 months, rather than just visiting for a few weeks hit me hard.  The whole week was hard for me.  Cat calls on Monday.  The stress of writing my first Spanish paper on Tuesday.  Wednesday was actually okay - yay for humpday and fútbol! (I'll get to that!) Skyping with my parents on Thursday and realizing how truly different life is here from that in Gibsonia and to add to the stress, Friday morning our pug Nikita went into labor and the first two (and only) puppies I saw born before I left for class were stillborn... plus the overall struggle of communicating my thoughts in Spanish when I don't know all the words, hitting my head in the micro almost every day, having to pay extra on the micro even though I'm a student and should only be paying 1 boliviano...  It was a rough week to say the least, but I got through it!  It's a week that anyone studying abroad will probably experience when faced with not only another culture, but another language as well.  It adds a whole extra level of stress to your daily life, but those experiences also open your eyes.  

I know that not all the Bolivian men are calling after me as I walk down the street, but now I feel I have to pay closer attention to what I wear with my extra long legs.  And as for my dress, I'll just wear it every day in Peru!  I also realized just how much English I've been speaking with my classmates.  We take classes in Spanish, but during breaks we all break into English without a second thought.  I really need to stop doing that because speaking in Spanish will not only help me communicate with my family, but also with people in the streets and La Cancha and writing those pesky papers!  As for home, anyone is going to miss it, but I really do love Bolivia!  This week aside, it has been amazing so far and I am so excited to continue to spend time here!  It is unbelievable that it's been barely a month since we've arrived, because it feels like it has been much longer!  Yet, at the same time everything is happening so quickly know we'll all be off doing our independent research projects and the semester will be over much sooner than I think!  So bad week or not, I'm going to cherish all the time I have!!  Finally, our pug ended up with three puppies!!  I came home to two girls and one boy and they are adorable -- although all they do is wiggle around on their bellies, nurse and squeal when they're cold or need something, but they're puppies so it's okay! They should open their eyes at around 15 days, so we're all counting down the days!  (Our dog total is now close to 20, because we're also pet sitting another mini pinscher, it really is a zoo here, but I love it!) -- Pictures to come!

And because this post isn't long enough, I'm going to talk about my first ever foreign fútbol match! (Plus it will lighten the mood!) It was Wilstermann (one of the 2 Cochabamba teams) vs Bolivar (one of the 2 La Paz teams).  My cousin Gustavo, myself, Laura, her boyfriend Charlie (aka Misah) and a few of his friends all went to the game.  The stadium is quite old, and nothing to write home about, but it's huge and practically every seat was filled!  It was a big game as it's kind of like the WVU/Pitt or Pitt/Penn State rivalries!  Tickets were only 33 bolivianos for general seating and we got to sit perpendicular to the center line so I didn't have any complaints!  We even were in an aisle so I had plenty of leg room!  My sister wanted me to root for Bolivar, so that's who I was sort of cheering for... but my cousin Gustavo pointed out that I was wearing red and wanted me to root for Wilstermann, but really I didn't care, I was AT THE GAME!  Wilstermann ended up winning 3-1.  Bolivar did not play well at all, but it was fun to watch and try to learn all the chants!  At the beginning of each half everyone throws confetti into the air, whistle and use noisemakers to make as much noise as possible.  There are also tons of chants for each team.  Because we were at Wilstermann's home stadium their fans were the majority.  There are two sides of Willstermann fans:  Gurkas y La Zona Roja.  They are situated at opposite ends of the pitch and are quite crazy!  We were near the Bolivar section and they weren't nearly as enthusiastic, they were also losing the whole time... but I guess that shouldn't matter.  The 'zones' of fans are taped off because those groups tend to get quite rowdy!  So rowdy in fact that alcohol is banned in the stadium!  Can you imagine what would happen if alcohol was banned at a Steeler game!?  There would be a riot!  Anyway, along with jumping up and down, dancing and singing for most of the game, these crazy fans also set off fireworks and smoke bombs, threw water balloons and just have fun!  It was entertaining to watch, but I'm glad I was on the outside of the tape!  After the game we walked a few blocks to meet up with our dad away from the stadium because there are just so many people and very little street!  There also isn't really a parking lot anywhere near the stadium.  For that reason most people bring motorcycles and create 'impromptu motorcycle parking' but walking those few blocks to the gas station there were times when everyone feared for their lives!! Some of those motorcycle drivers were very set on getting home, even if that meant running people over!  But we all survived and made it to el Cristo (the gas station) and our truck and eventually home!  

El principio!!!

Our view of the pitch

GURKAS

Gustavo, Laura & I

These two guys brought their rug to the game....?

El Cristo gas station...
*it's not that close to Cristo

To the ups and downs that are part of life (and maybe even more so in a foreign country),

Carly

Festival de la Virgen de Guadalupe

This is my last post on Sucre, PROMISE!  But we experienced so much there was no way I could fit it into just one post.. or I guess I could, but that would be one very long post!!  On Saturday September 14th we had the honor of witnessing la Festival de la Virgen de Guadalupe!  It is literally an all day event!  It starts at 10am (ish) -- Bolivians aren't really ever on time-- and the route is 6km (3.7miles) and the performers dance the entire way!  The last group starts around 6pm and so when we went out dancing and drinking around 1:30am, the parade was still going!!!  I don't know how they do it, but more power to them!  It is very much a family event, with generations of different families present in each group, or if they aren't directly participating they are carrying water and snacks for the performers.  We watched the parade for about 4 or 5 hours and we didn't even see half of the groups performing! The Macy's Day Parade has nothing on this festival!  Each group was so distinctly different and their dedication to dancing for 6 km (especially the women in their ridiculous heels) shows a lot of devotion and pride for not only the Virgin, but Bolivia as a whole.  The day was so filled with happiness and cheer, people were pulled in to dance with the performers, performers would greet friends they saw on the streets as they passed, it was a wonderful atmosphere and yet another reason why I love Sucre!  I wish I knew every single group that participated because I really would like to know where some of the costumes originated!  And I also want to know more about the history of the groups (yes I'm an anthropology major...) There are some groups that have been dancing in the parade for decades and others that have only just started!  All in all it was incredible to witness (I think I've said that about 6 times), but it truly was an honor to see such a conglomeration of beliefs and people present in one very open, accepting place.  There's no way I can accurately describe all of the dances and costumes, so I'll let the photos do the talking!  Enjoy the conglomeration of culture that is Bolivia:  celebrating the Catholic Virgin in traditional indigenous dress!!

Enter the Virgin
She leads the Parade!

This group is from the Amazon lowlands!

Even the littlest kids have a big role in the festival

The dress is no different for little kids, they wear the same things
their uncles, fathers and grandfathers do!

Hydrating with beer is better than hydrating with water!

This group danced the Macarena -- maybe my favorite part of the whole parade because it was so unexpected!

I love all the colors of these outfits!

That checkered rainbow flag is called a wiphala and is a symbol of the
reaffirmation of Bolivia's pluri-cultural identity and pride!
Many of the indigenous groups incorporated them into their costumes

I loved listening to these groups dance, because the bells
just added a whole new level to the music and dance!

This is our Academic Director Ismael's wife Lupe.
She is very spiritual and danced the 6km because she felt moved to!
I danced about 2 blocks with her, it was great and everyone
cheered the tall gringo and the woman with the sari on! :)

Because wearing high heels wasn't enough of a struggle,
they decided to wear masks as well!

These poor monsters were so overheated!
Most of them had their masks off by the end!

The costumes deconstructed

I loved these little outfits, although I would not love walking in those heels!

This group is also from the Amazon lowlands and they entered behind a few 'shamans'
who used smoke bombs to make their entrance into the Plaza Principal even grander!

Just relaxing after the parade!

The outfits were relatively similar construction wise, but every group had their own distinct color pattern!  So just imagine all these outfits in hundreds more colors and you're practically at the parade!!!  It really was an amazing experience and I'd love to return!  Or maybe venture to Carnival in Oruro.. which is apparently this times 1000... It's a two week event in February and people from all over Bolivia and the world flock to celebrate!  (Think Mardi Gras on steriods!)  Maybe one day...


To dancing in the streets,
Carly

La Importancia de la Música

I mentioned in my last post that Sucre was also colonized by the Spanish and that was definitely apparent as we wandered through the streets!  The ASUR museum is located at the top of one of the many hills in Sucre which gave us a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding landscapes!  After the museum we walked back down to the hotel para descansar (to rest) before our evening with Los Masis!!

Catholic Church in the Plaza

LOS MASIS is a musical group started by Robert Sahonero and his brothers.  While studying at the university in Sucre they decided to start a small art and music center called Centro Cultural Los Masis.  We actually got to meet and talk to Robert and his pride in the music and what it brings to the world is very apparent!  He talked about music with such passion it is no wonder that his group and their center boast such a large following.  When they started it was just the brothers and they barely had a place to practice.  Today the center offers hundreds of school children the chance to learn and play traditional Andean music and Los Masis themselves continue to be one of the favorite traditional Andean groups in Bolivia!  They have also had the chance to travel the world to share the music and culture of Bolivia and have performed at the Smithsonian in Washington DC countless times!   Robert spoke about the center, how they teach the children and ways of promoting indigenous ideals through music and dance.  And if that weren't enough we were treated to a performance of some of his students!  They ranged in age from about 12 - 18 and every single one of them were dressed in traditional Tarabuco dress! --Although we had to wait a little as it started POURING and they were to perform in an open area while we watched from above...  After they played Los Masis themselves performed for us and we were able to dance and join in the making of music!  It was a wonderful night and one I definitely wouldn't mind reliving.  I think it also helped that I quite miss my piano and singing with the Women's Choral Ensemble!  I didn't realize how much I missed music!  It is such a large part of my life and getting to sing along to some of the songs (or mumble is probably more accurate) made my week!  My cheeks hurt so much that night I was smiling so much!  Maybe I'll go back to Sucre for my independent study project to study the different forms of music in Bolivia... who knows!  All I know is that Sucre has definitely been one of my favorite cities thus far! :)

 Robert Sahonero introducing his students
(and hiding from the rain!)

The Students Performing in Traditional Dress

Los Masis

Unfortunately the videos are taking too long to load... but here are some youtube videos of Los Masis!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K0LHPH3Hgo -- Tinku (it's old, but this is a traditional Bolivian dance which is a form of ritual fighting.  As you dance, you sort of fight with your partner, it's quite fun!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEz_px6XV-U&list=UUPkK5zN3XjK0s3FRPT5D3LA  -- This is more recent, with the members we saw and you get to see some dancing!

To the power of music,

Carly

Fibers on Looms and Birthdays in Sucre ...

(please go back and reread the title and sing it to the tune of Raindrops on Roses -- because these have been some of my favorite things so far!!!)

DAY 1:
Thank goodness, we arrived in Sucre ON TIME!  Not that I would have noticed if we had any more problems with the bus as I slept the ENTIRE way... The altitude really tired me out, or maybe it was the swimming?  Anyway, it's not really important.  Like I said before Sucre is/was/might still be the capital of Bolivia and it's a sprawling city!  It is known for it's night life and beautiful Colonial architecture.  Because of it's proximity to Potosí it was also colonized during the mid 1500s.  It is also at a much better altitude (closer to that of Cochabamba) and therefore not nearly as cold as Potosí! After we arrived we had free time to do whatever we wanted (maybe the first time this entire trip!!)  So we all went out for dinner with plans to meet up later to officially celebrate Rhen's 21st!  My little group found a restaurant called the Condor Cafe.  It is completely vegetarian and it was amazing!  I tried the tucumana which is a pot pie of sorts.  It has a flaky crust (very similar to that of an empanada) and was filled with fresh vegetables and a little bit of sauce.  We added a sweet salsa to it and that just sealed the deal!  I could have eaten four of them they were so good!  (And while I didn't eat that many, we all returned at least once --or twice-- to eat there again!  Although, the second time I got a veggie omelette and I hate to say it, but it definitely beat out Pamela's!!)

After we ate we headed to the plaza to a bar/restaurant called Joy Ride.  Their tagline was "no solo para gringos" aka "not just for white people..."  But the drinks were good and they had some dancing and gave Rhen a birthday cake and birthday shot, so really I don't have any complaints!  We danced for a while upstairs and made sure Rhen was never empty handed and we all had a blast.  That was one of the first times all of us have been out together, which I think made her birthday even better!  I headed back with a few others instead of going to the discoteca as the next day we were going to a weaving museum and being the sewing nerd I am, I wanted to be fully alert and not hungover at the museum! :)


DAY 2: Museo de Tejido Indígena

We had an early start, so I was very happy with my choice to go home "early" the night before!  We ate breakfast and then walked to the museum of Indigenous textiles.  It's through an organization called ASUR:  Anthropologists of the Southern Andes and is part of the foundation for Anthropological Research and Ethno-development -- aka everything I love!!  Although we weren't able to take pictures of everything, so I'll just describe some of my favorite things in great details and add some images from the internet!

The original purpose of the museum was to conserve the culture and intricate textiles of the Jalq'a.  The founders were a husband and wife that were interested in finding the source of beautiful antique textiles that were popping up around South America.  When they found the Jalq'a, they had lost almost all of their colors and patterns for weaving.  Thus the husband and wife took it upon themselves to help the Jalq'a regain their 'colors' and thus their culture.  The proceeds from the museum, the sale of textiles and other artifacts are all given to the men and women that weave them.  (Yes, MEN and women!)  Every textile has a purpose.  There are colors that are used for daily life:  reds, oranges and yellows and colors used specifically for ceremonies:  purples, greens and blues.  Certain patterns also have their own names and designs much like quilt patterns today!  It's hard to describe them, so you'll just have to believe me and/or go see for yourself!  Also, all the colors can be made using natural elements -- although today many indigenous groups actually use chemically produced dyes.  But in case you're curious here is a list of items you can find in nature to make all your colors.. unfortunately most of them are in what I think is Quechua (one of the 37 recognized indigenous languages found in Bolivia) but just know you can make all the colors of the rainbow (especially red)!!!

eucalipto (Eucalyptus) = red-orange to red
chima t'ula
ch'akatiya
molle t'ula
carmín de conchinilla (Carmine) = crimson
misuk'a
cochinilla molida (Crushed Cochineal) = crimson
q'ilkikhichka
añil = indigo
cochinilla (Cochineal Insect) = crimson

And to make it even more confusing, each group of people has their own imagery and patterns for their tejidos.  Around Sucre alone there are seven distinct groups!  But, the types still fall under broad categories and usually abide by the same color rules.  One of my favorites is from the Jalq'a group.  They are one of the largest groups around Sucre and their textiles look like the red and black one below.  It's called "Rompecabeza" which literally means "head breaking" and when you see it you'll see why!  They are very dark with all different animals (real and imaginary) and often times include Supa (the devil).  It's a very mysterious and diabolical pattern and you have to look very closely to determine what you're looking at because nothing is oriented the same way nor is it the same size!

Jalq'a Rompecabeza

A woman weaving a Rompecabeza
PS. I bought this postcard so someone will probably get this in the mail!

There was also a large exhibit on the Tiwanaku culture.  The center of Tiwanaku is situated near La Paz (and we'll be visiting in a few weeks!!!) but the culture extended throughout many parts of Bolivia and Chile.  They were a huge influence on the culture of Andes -- and it makes sense as the civilization existed from 300 AD - 1200 AD!  They are well known for their ceramics and the fun little hats! The exhibit itself was a burial they excavated somewhat close to Sucre and the artifacts on display were incredible!  I learned a lot about Tiwanaku in my South American archaeology class so it was so cool to see the items we talked about at length in class!  (Yay for being able to apply knowledge!!)  There were silver pins, ceremonial baskets, earrings, jewelry and a mummy (well a representation of it)!  It was incredible to see and just made me even more excited for Tiwanaku!!  (Expect my Tiwanaku post to be very long and detailed!)

Tiwanaku hat

So other than all the tejidos and their designs there was an exhibit on the music and dance of the different groups.  They had mannequins dressed in the traditional outfits for the dances and videos of the dances!  It was incredible how wonderfully detailed and beautiful the textiles are, but to see a full outfit planned out from hat to shoes was wonderful!  The picture I found isn't a great one, but there will be lots of beautiful traditional outfits in my next post about the Festival for the Virgin of Guadalupe!!

Traditional Dances

And one final word about male weavers!  The men have a completely different way of weaving.  It used to be that both men and women would weave, but once the Spanish entered and work in the mines began mining became the 'manly' profession and male weaving fell out of practice.  But today, one of the goals of ASUR is to re-promote men's weaving.  They offer after school programs for young boys and classes for men to reintroduce the art of weaving and they make quite beautiful tejidos, albeit distinctly different from the detail of the women's.  You can see for yourself below.  Also, they tend to be smaller tejidos with larger images and have lots of things hanging from them -- I'm not sure if there's a reason for this, I either missed it at the museum or we didn't talk about i!

Tejido de un hombre

Okay, that was a lot... I really did love the museum!  Honestly I could have stayed there all day!  I tried to draw some of the images, but it really doesn't do them any justice.  I'll end this post with the one picture I could take at the store of a woman weaving.  She was very sweet and I think she liked that I asked to take her picture and then showed it to her!  I also am in love with her hat!

Here's hoping I get the chance to learn how to weave,

Carly

Potosí: Swimming in Silver

DAY 2:  Casa de Moneda

  The next morning we headed down the street to La Casa de Moneda!  All of the Bolivia's coins used to be printed right here in Potosí!  We had a wonderful tour guide -- he wore a very smart black dress coat and when he finished talking would say "Thank you very much" and then let us wander around that particular exhibit for a bit.  The museum still has all the original machinery from when the factory opened in 1574 and it is the oldest machinery in the world!  Mules powered the machines and would work for 10 hours every day, but because Potosí is at such a high altitude the mules had to be shipped from lower altitude regions and only survived three to four months.  (Talk about labor laws!)  The mint not only printed coins for then Spanish ruled Bolivia, but also for Spain and Argentina!  At first the coins were made of 90% silver -- can you imagine?  In fact, many coins from that time period are chipped or have holes in the center because people would chip off a piece to pay for what they needed.  I guess they didn't want to spend a whole coin?  That's what the tour guide told us, although he also told us that people live on Mars... so who knows how much was factual!  But it was a great tour!  They also had machinery from the locomotion age, a room of artifacts from Potosí and surrounding indigenous communities (including child mummies), a huge room FULL of minerals (and a few random dinosaur bones) found only in Bolivia and tons of silver artifacts such as triptychs, teapots in the shapes of animals, virgins, musical instruments, jewelry, armor and more!  It was quite incredible!!!  I especially enjoyed the teapots, my favorite was a giant rooster with a necklace!  It was ridiculous!  They also had a room full of scales and the most intricate lock box I've ever seen to keep silver coins in.  It had more than 20 different locks to open it and had at least two 'false' key holes.  Much of the technology present in the mint was actually invented by Leonard Da Vinci!  Learning that really helped me understand just how important Potosí was to the Spaniards, and the rest of the world.  It's no wonder the Spaniards fought so hard to keep control of the mines and why Bolivia was so hesitant to diversify its resources:  they were so used to wealth coming easily after a day in the mines.

All my pictures of the museum are 'borrowed' from my classmates as I didn't have my camera with me.. whoops!  I'll add more when I find more! :)

The oldest machinery in the world!

Micah & Rhen (the 'mules')

And to give you an idea of the wealth of the city center, here are a few photos of Potosí.  Just keep in mind what those mines looked like in my last post!

Lady Liberty and El Cerro Rico... an interesting mix of symbolism

Walking back to the hotel at sunset

Iglesia near la Plaza Principal

 Santa Teresa

After La Casa de Moneda we headed to las aguas termales (thermal pools)!  After being at such a high altitude, wandering around Potosí and touring the mines everyone was exhausted and the pools were the perfect cure!  It's about a 45 minute drive out to the pools and every where we looked were beautiful mountains and scenery!  We stopped for a few minutes at a rock formation that looks like a child/prince (see below) I can't remember the name, but it was cool (once we figured out what we were supposed to be looking at!)  Once we got to the pools we all jumped in and it was like bath water!  Many of us used the mud to exfoliate our faces... others exfoliated any skin they could find and others painted masterpieces on themselves!  We all looked quite funny but my face was so smooth the next day, it was worth it! The pool was large but we had to stay along the sides because in the middle there's a giant whirlpool(s??).  But that still gave us plenty of room to move around!  After our 'bath' we celebrated Rhen's 21st birthday with cake, a birthday song and a few unexpected guests!  Then it was back on the bus and we headed for Sucre!

The Child

Las Aguas Termales

Such breathtaking scenery!

Our new friend that came to eat cake
(don't worry, it wasn't chocolate!)

To birthdays, new friends and relaxing swims,

Carly