Our hundreds of Bolivian tradi-tions would be difficult to summa-rize on a single page. Bolivian cultu-re has been shaped and influenced by over 30 native ethnic groups and numerous immigrant (foreign) cultures and each has contributed its own beliefs and lifestyles to the potpourri of Bolivian customs and traditions. This is precisely what makes Bolivia one of the most colorful nations in South America.

A common misconception is that Bolivia culture and customs are very homoge-neous. Most people picture Bolivia as an Andean country because the govern-ment has historically projected only the Aymara and Quechua cultures in massive tourism marketing efforts. Though these two Andean ethnic groups are very large and they are very intent upon preserving their traditions, the true culture of Bolivia includes many others.

Bolivia

La PazOur Lady of Peace is the seat of govern-ment of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country (in population) after Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[3] It is located in the western part of the country in the department of the same name at an elevation of roughly 3,650 m (11,975 ft) (the city is built on steep hills) above sea level, making it the world's highest de facto capital city, or administrative capi-tal, with Quito being the highest legal capital.

While the official capital of Bolivia is Sucre and it is the seat of Justice, La Paz has more government departments, hence the "de facto" qualifier.[5] The city sits in a "bowl" surrounded by the high mountains of the altiplano

Copacabana

Copacabana is the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The town has a large 16th-century shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana. Our Lady of Copacaba-na is the patron saint of Bolivia. The town is a destination for tourism in Bolivia. The town is also known for its famous Basilica, home of the Virgin of Copacabana, its trout, and its quaint atmosphere. Built between Mount Calvario and Mount Niño Calvario, the town has approxima-tely 6,000 inhabitants. Copacabana's religious celebra-tions, cultural patrimony, and traditional festivals are well known throughout Bolivia. Boats leave for Isla del Sol, the sacred Inca island from

The National Mint of Bolivia (Spanish: Casa de la Moneda de Bolivia) or the Mint of Potosí is a mint located in the city of Potosí in Bolivia. It is from this mint that most of the silver shipped through the Spanish Main came.The coinage minted during its period became so well known in the world that a saying, memorialized by Miguel de Cervantes came into use: valer un potosí, "to be worth a potosí" (that is, "a fortune").

La PazTiticaca Lake

The Titicaca Lake is the highest-navigable lake in the world. It has an average height of 3,810 meters above the sea level. A portion of the lake belongs to Bolivia and the other one to Peru. It is divided into two major basins, named "Lago Mayor del Titicaca" (Major Lake of the Titicaca) and "Lago Menor del Titicaca" (Minor Lake of the Titica-ca).

Tiwanaku

Tiwanaku (Spanish spellings: Tiahuanaco and Tiahuanacu) is an important Pre-Columbian archaeo-logical site. Tiwanaku is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important precursors to the Inca Empire, flourishing as the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approxima-tely five hundred years. The ruins of the ancient city state are near the south-eastern shore of Lake Titicaca, about 72 km (44 miles) west of La Paz.

This lake is located in the Department of La Paz, at three hours by bus from the capital city of the same name. It is 283 meters deep and has a total extension of 176 Km. in length by 70 Km. in width.

The Titicaca Lake is a perfect place to enjoy nature. The most typical species of fish include the following: suches (Suchy - Quechua Word, given to a species of fish native of the Titicaca Lake) carachis, bogas (Boga - Scientific Name: Sparus box, a small type of blue fish with golden stripes and very thin teeth), umantos, and ispis (Small type of fish with very thin body) and certain species of birds, such as: wallatas or wild geese.

What to See The remains of a Pre-Incan civilization. This monumental city in the Bolivian highlands 13,000 feet above sea level and one of 754 recognized World Heritage Sites, Tiwanaku is surrounded by mountain ranges, with Lake Titicaca on its west side. The massive, solid blocks of a stone not indige-nous to the flat plateau give rise to the site's nickname, "the Stonehenge of the Americas". The museum contains most of the amazing things built by the Tiwanakan people. A skeleton was recovered that is about 13,000 years old. This place is quite magical.

Cristo de la Concordia

Cocha: Perched atop the San Pedro hill, the 33 m (109 ft) tall statue of the “Cristo de la Concordia” is the tallest of its kind in the world. Visitors can climb inside up to the arms for a pano-ramic view of the city.The statue is just a bit taller than the one in Rio de Janeiro, with a great view of the city.

The construction of "El Cristo de la Concordia" took place in 1989. It is considered the main attraction in the city of Cochabamba. This massive work was carried out by the Catholic Church and contributions of diverse sources. The statue of Christ is an immense concrete structure that with his extended arms represents the hospita-lity of the people of Cochabamba. There is a superb view from the top, reachable by cable car service.

Villa Tunari

Villa Tunari or Tunari is a location in the department of Cocha-bamba, Bolivia. It is the seat of the Villa Tunari Municipality, the third municipal section of the Chapare Province. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 2,510.[1]

Villa Tunari has several parks located nearby including Parque Machía and Carrasco National Park. Parque Machía is home to one of three wildlife centers maintained by Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi and supported by international volunteers..

Cochabamba

Samaipata

About nine kilometers from the city on the old road to Cochabamba lay the magnificent ruins of a fortress, known as "Fuerte de Samaipata" (Samaipata Fortress). The Samaipata Archaeological and Anthropological Research Centre have a collection that includes bowls, receptacles of various kinds and dishes. These have been decorated with anthropomorphic figures that date back to cultures prior to colonial times. Some of these objects are from around 200 BC. The center provides information about this Pre-Inca structure. The fortress also has a very complex drainage system, with several water channels and basins. Also, there are several sculptures made from single pieces of stone. There is also proof that this used to be a fortress of the Kollasuyo Empire. It is recom-mend visiting the museum first, in order to understand better what this site and the culture are all about.

Chiquitania

Located at a distance of a little more than 200 Km from the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, capital of the Department of Santa Cruz, the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos, which have survi-ved for more than three centuries, emerge

imposingly.

La Chiquitania is a vast and extraordinary territory in which we are able to admire chur-ches of the Jesuit period and where we find wonderful wood carvings and equally beautiful paintings of saints and scenes of religious life. These are real architectural jewels preserved by the people of these settlements, and which still keep cultural expressions from the period of the missions. For this reason the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared them as

World Heritage Sites in the year 1990.

The Jesuit Missions that preserve their tem-ples and characteristics are: San Javier, San Rafael, San Jose, Concepcion, San Miguel and Santa Ana. Another great attraction of the zone is the Baroque Musical Festival which is held every two years (even years) and the religious Festivities which carry us back to the past because they use their typical dresses and play the instruments build by the inhabi-

tants of these regions themselves.

Santa Crúz

Jesuit Missions, Santa Cruz

Cochabamba

Potosí

Potosi is, at around 4000 meter, the worlds highest city. It's located in the Altiplano in

Bolivia. Potosi was founded in 1546 after the disco-very of the rich silver deposits in the Cerro Rico. It soon became one of the wealthiest and largest cites in the Americas. The mines of the Cerro Rico are the richest mines in all of world history and may have

produced 60,000 tons of silver.

Potosí

National Mint

The National Mint of Bolivia or the Mint of Potosí is a mint located in the city of Potosí in Bolivia. It is from this mint that most of the silver shipped through the Spanish Main came.The coinage minted during its period became so well known in the world that a saying, memorialized by Miguel de Cervantes came into use: valer un potosí, "to be worth a potosí" (that is, "a fortune").

Toro Toro

The Park is located to the north of Potosi, in the province Charcas, though it is more easily accessible from Cocha-bamba city. It has a surface of 16,570 hectares (166 km2). It is an authentic paradise for the lovers of geology and paleontology since tracks of large reptiles of the Mesozoic era and deep caverns of carstic origin can be found here. Among the attractions are the extensive cavern of Huma Jalanta, the cavern of Huaca Senka and others. Also, there are tracks of dinosaurs and zones with abundant fossils. Toro Toro harbors the Inca ruins of Flame Chaqui and cave paintings. A particular attraction is the impressive canyon of the Valley of Toro Toro. The altitude varies between 3,600 and 1,900 meters.

Cochabamba

Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above mean sea level.[1] The Salar was formed as a result of trans-formations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar.

The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves,[2] which is in the process of being extracted. The large area, clear skies and the exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.[3][4][5][6][7] The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Alti-plano and is a major breeding ground for several species of pink flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is also a climatological transitional zone, for towering tropical cumulus congestus and cumulus incus clouds that form in the eastern part of the salt flat during the summer cannot permeate beyond its drier western edges, near the Chilean border and the Atacama Desert.

Potosí

Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above mean sea level.[1] The Salar was formed as a result of trans-formations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar.

Cochabamba

Oruro´s Carnival

This event is held as a sign of devo-tion to the "Virgen de la Candelaria" (Virgin of the Candle Mass) or Virgin from "Socavon" (Entrance of the mines). This is one of the largest cultural events and festivi-ties of greatest importance in Boli-via and Latin America.

During this festivity, men and women from various ages dance in honor to the Virgin. They all dress up in elaborate costumes made by artisans of great skill that produce outfits of unbelievable beauty and quality

During this celebration Oruro is flooded with color. For three days and three nights there is a parade of fifty different groups of dancers, each one representing different types of dances and with very different types of outfits. This massive amount of people is accompanied by 4 or 5 marching bands that play continuously for hours at a time.

The historian Augusto Beltran Heredia declared that the religious sense of the Carnival of Oruro has made this festivi-ty a one-of-a kind attraction in the world. In this festivity there is a balanced symbiosis between the original traditions of the Andes and Christian beliefs brought by the Spanish colonizers.

In the "entrance" or beginning of the Carnival there are the following dances: Diablada, Morenada, Potolo, Pujllay, Tinku, Kullawada, Tobas, Caporales, Llamerada, Waca Waca, Suri Sikuris, Kantus and many other indigenous and half-breed dances that have formed this intangible heritage of Bolivia.

The most famous and emblematic dance of the Car-nival of Oruro is the "Diablada" (The Devil's Dance), which is a depiction of the struggle between good and evil. In this dance there are even some biblical characters, such as Archangel Michael and the Seven Virtues that confront Lucifer and the Seven Mortal Sins.

Oruro

In the "entrance" or beginning of the Carnival there are the following dances: Diablada, Morenada, Potolo, Pujllay, Tinku, Kullawada, Tobas, Caporales, Llamerada, Waca Waca, Suri Sikuris, Kantus and many other indigenous and half-breed dances that have formed this intangible heritage of Bolivia.

The most famous and emblematic dance of the Car-nival of Oruro is the "Diablada" (The Devil's Dance), which is a depiction of the struggle between good and evil. In this dance there are even some biblical characters, such as Archangel Michael and the Seven Virtues that confront Lucifer and the Seven Mortal Sins.

Sucre is the constitutional capital of the Republic of Bolivia. It is located towards the south of the country, at about 2,750 meters above the sea level. It has a very moderate climate, which is typical of the Andes. Sucre is known as the "White City", mostly because of its unique architectural beauty and white houses. The town has been declared one of Mankind's Cultu-ral Heritage by UNESCO.

"La ciudad blanca", Sucre is a white-washed, pristine city with many grand buildings, dinosaur footprints, a free theatre and an excellent choice of fruit due to its proximity to the lowlands. The movement for indepen-dence in Upper Peru, which became Bolivia, centered in Sucre. Sucre has lost the administrative and legislative branches of .

Sucre

Sucre is the constitutional capital of the Republic of Bolivia. It is located towards the south of the country, at about 2,750 meters above the sea level. It has a very moderate climate, which is typical of the Andes. Sucre is known as the "White City", mostly because of its unique architectural beauty and white houses. The town has been declared one of Mankind's Cultu-ral Heritage by UNESCO.

Cochabamba

Rurrenabaque

Rurrenabaque is a small town in the North of Bolivia on the Beni River. It is the capital of Rurrenabaque Municipality. In recent years it has become popular with international tourism as it is an easy gateway for visits to Madidi National Park (within the Bolivian rainforest), as well as the surrounding pampas. Locals commonly refer to the town by its shortened nickname, "Rurre."

Rurrenabaque is located in José Ballivián Province in Beni Department, Bolivia. Rurrenabaque Municipality, the fourth (municipal section) of José Ballivián Province, has 14,000 inhabitants, out of which 8,000 live in Rurrenabaque itself (Censo 2001, according to Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Bolivia).

Rurrenabaque lies on the east bank of the Beni River. It is expected that a bridge will be built over the river to connect with the town San Buenaventura on the west bank. The coming bridge is a part of a road project that is expected to be carried out in the years following 2008. It will considerably broaden the economic relationship between the two towns, which has been traditionally stunted by limited and expensive transport by boat. Since the river simultaneously widens and shallows at the San Buenaventura section, the top current becomes much stronger than on many sections of the river. Most boats and motors capable of crossing the stretch of river represent an investment beyond the means of most indi-vidual Bolivian families, but a bridge will allow San Buenaven-tura to enjoy the same accessibility as that enjoyed between Rurrenabaque and the neighboring town of Reyes.

aiesec.org/bolivia