Bolivia
heart the
of
South America
city booklet
about
La Paz, Bolivia
It’s metropolitan area, which is formed by La Paz, El Alto and Viacha, makes up the most populous urban area in Bolivia, with a population of 2.3 million.It is also the capital of the La Paz Department. The city, located in west-central Bolivia 68 km southeast of Lake Titicaca, is set in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. It is located in a bowl-like depression surrounded by the high mountains of the Altiplano. Overlooking the city is the towering, triple-peaked Illimani. Its peaks are always snow covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. At an elevation of roughly 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level. Due to its altitude, La Paz has an unusual subtropical highland climate, with rainy summers and dry winters.
La Paz also known as “La Gran Hoyada� was chosen as one of the 7 Wonder Cities in the World. It is a recognition thanks to its culture, geography and topography of a highland city, but above all its beautiful and incredible people.
Height experiences
La Paz It is characterized by the combination of tradition with modernity. La Paz, a mystical city with ups and downs, you can see the snowy Illimani in the background. The culture, its traditions and rituals stand out.
Food 1 Dollar = 6.96 bs Breakfast = Dinner = Lunch = Water = Bread = Soda = Beer = Milk =
10 Bs – 1.5 dollars 20 Bs – 3 dollars 20 Bs – 3 dollars 5 Bs – 0.70 dollars 0.50 ctvs- 0.07 dollars 5 Bs. - 0.7 dollars 11 Bs. – 2.5 dollars 6Bs – 0.75 dollars
Transport Puma Katari Bus Cable car Mini bus Taxi
= 2.50 Bs. – 0.30 dollars = 3Bs - 0.40 dollars = 2.60 Bs – 0.20 dollars = 15 Bs – 2 dollars
Mirador Killi Killi
Valle de las Animas
Murillo square
Tourism
Witch Market
BasĂlica San Francisco
in the city Muela del Diablo
Sagarnaga Street
Weekend trips
COPACABANA 3 hours and 30 min from La Paz city Copacabana is the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Once you get to Copacabana, you can take a boat to Isla del Sol, depart from 1:30 pm/20 bs. To 8 km is the Island of the Moon is smaller than the previous one. Its original name is “Cutity� and means woman
TIHUANAKU 1 hours and 59 min from La Paz city The area around Tiwanaku may have been inhabited as early as 1500 bC as a small agricultural village. During the time period between 300 BC and bC 300, Tiwanaku is thought to have been a moral and cosmological center for the Tiwanaku empire, and one to which many people made pilgrimages.
COROICO 3 hours and 23 min from La Paz city Coroico is a hill top town in the Yungas region of Bolivia and is a good place to spend a night before heading to La Paz, or further north toward the Jungle. Because of the lower elevation, the weather is quite nice by comparison to La Paz, and has a resort-like feel to it
Interesting Zebras
The Government of La Paz launched an initiative to counteract road chaos in the city: a group of people wear zebras to promote respect for the traffic regulations. The zebras maintain road order.
Cholitas Wrestling One of the attractions in the city to see is the show of the fighting cholitas in a ring. They leave aside the prejudices outside and contemplate a sportshow that has no equal in the world
Changing Climate An important characteristic of the city is its changing climate, in the morning it can be very cloudy and in the afternoon very sunny. Generally the climate is dry
Language Another characteristics of the city are the original languages still persist in La Paz, these are the Aymara and Quechua but most of the population speaks spanish in the city.
Facts
Traditional foods Marraqueta (traditional bread) = 0.50 - 0.07 dollars SalteĂąa PaceĂąa = 6bs - 0.86 dollars Sajta de pollo = 25 bs - 3.5 dollars Aji de fideo = 10 bs - 1.43 dollars Tucumana = 6 BS - 0.86 dollars Chairo = 15 bs - 2.15 dollars
Salteña
Ají de fideo
Tucumanas
Chairo
Marraqueta
Sajta de pollo
Festivities
It is the longest fair, begins on January 24 and lasts between 3 to 5 weeks. is a cultural event that takes place in the city of La Paz, Bolivia in honor of the Ekkeko, the Aymara God of abundance, this fair is known for the production of representative miniatures of real and personal property.
Alasitas (January 24)
Todos los Santos (November 2nd)
Since time immemorial, the original communities celebrate the party to the dead. With the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, this feast was merged with the feast of Todos Santos, which Catholics celebrate the first two days of November of each year. Since then, the tradition
of celebrating the souls and ajayus (“souls� in Aymara) of the dead is part of the cultural details of many Bolivians. People cook special dishes, and visit the dead in the cemetery.
Anniversary of La Paz (July 16)
It was the second independence revolution in the continent, after the siege of the city, led by the caudillo Tupac Katari, that the paceĂąos just began to cultivate the seeds of emancipation. Thus, the patricians joined forces with mestizos and indigenous people to organize the revolutionary uprising of July 16, during the procession of the Virgen del Carmen. The criollos called an open council and organized the Tuitiva Junta and it was a mestizo who led the movement: Don Pedro Domingo Murillo.
Aymara New Year (June 21st)
It is a ceremony around the Winter Solstice. In pre-Hispanic America, native peoples depended a lot on agriculture, so their agricultural rites were aimed at obtaining the approval of their gods, especially the Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Inti (Father Sun), to ensure abundant crops. This date is a ceremony in which sunrise is expected and the sun passes through the representative “DOOR OF THE SUN� which means good omen for the harvest.
Carnival (February)
It is a celebration that takes place in the month of February and the beginning of fixation of the exact date is determined by the time of harvest. It is a representative event of religious syncretism and culture. Represents Catholicism and the oposition to this. In Bolivia, ch’alla (Aymara ritual) is celebrated, which represents the beginning of the harvest season, abundance, business growth, security, among others.
Marcela Castro
Vicepresident of Incoming Global Volunteer AIESEC for LA PAZ marcela2.castro@aiesec.net +591 791 60 449