Cuando tu viaje es con una escala de 16 horas en un país que no conoces, tienes que aprovecharla y salir. En este caso el lugar era Bolivia y el aeropuerto El Alto, el aeropuerto internacional construido a mayor altitud del mundo situado a 4.000 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Allí mismo, en la ciudad de El Alto se situaba la Feria del 16 de julio, un mercado lleno de variedades, y todo por muy poco bolivianos. Lo más destacado de aquel lugar no eran sus precios sino sus gentes. En Bolivia un 70% de la población es indígena.
Estas señoras nativas que utilizan un look tan peculiar son las “cholitas”. Cubriendo sus piernas visten largas faldas con muchas capas, allí las llaman polleras. Las usan para protegerse del frío y parecer más anchas, algo que ven positivo pues es signo de fertilidad. En la parte superior llevan blusa y una manta amarrada al cuello en la que cargan lo que sea preciso, desde su bebé hasta sus verduras. En la cabeza está lo más llamativo, el peinado y el sombrero de bombín. Las largas melenas negras las recogen en dos trenzas a las cuales les añaden pompones de tela al final para que parezcan más largas. Y sobre sus cabezas se ponen esos pequeños sombreros redondeados que desencajan con resto de la vestimenta.
Allí cuentan que esos gorros fueron encargados en el siglo XIX por Pedro Domingo Murillo, considerado el precursor de la independencia en Bolivia, para todos los trabajadores de la zona. Cuando llegaron los sombreros a los hombres les quedaban demasiado pequeños, así que estos los repartieron entre sus “cholitas” y les contaron que eran la última moda en Europa. A partir de ese momento el sombrero Borsalino entró a formar parte de la vestimenta típica de estas damas. Incluso se ha creado una interpretación del estado civil de la “cholita” según como lleve el gorro posicionado en su cabeza. Un buen indicador para saber si acercarte a ella o no.
La bajada a la ciudad de La Paz, que está ubicada en un hoyo, también es algo curioso. Tienen un teleférico con diversas líneas de diferentes colores y varias estaciones, una especie de metro aereo. Algo muy necesario viendo las pendientes en las que está construida la ciudad. Uno no entiende que es eso del mal de altura hasta que no se está en un sitio así. La sensación es extraña, el cuerpo está cansando y sientes como si te oprimieran la cabeza por ambos lados. El remedio lo descubrí tarde, mascar hojas de coca.
Esta esotérica población tiene remedios para todo. A la vista está en el “Mercado de las Brujas” que son gente supersticiosa, pero nunca uno imagina hasta que nivel. En La Paz y algunas otras ciudades del altiplano, aun llevan a cabo costumbres que vienen de épocas pre-coloniales. Por ejemplo realizar ofrendas de animales para la madre tierra, la Pachamama, a cambio de la prosperidad de la comunidad, la familia, el amor o incluso los negocios.
Cuenta una leyenda, y no tan leyenda, que cuando van a realizar alguna inversión grande y construir edificios altos y caros, para asegurarse de que todo salga bien y los trabajadores estén sanos, llevan a cabo un macabro ritual. Consiste en algo así como crear una hoguera a base de hojas, hierbas, líquidos y por último sacrificar un humano como ofrenda. Consideraban a los indigentes la presa idónea para esta labor, ya que no tenían nada que perder ni nadie que los reclamara. Alguien de los interesados se acercaba a donde solían estar estas personas y escogía a uno de ellos. Le invitaban a disfrutar de bebida y comida por todo lo alto, nunca mejor dicho, durante toda la noche. Cuando el mendigo ya no tenía ningún tipo de juicio, le arrojaban al fuego y comenzaban la sesión.
Algo también descabellado es el funcionamiento de la prisión de San Pedro, pues allí los presos deben pagar por entrar en la cárcel y por su estancia allí. Desembolsan por su cama, su comida y todo lo que utilicen y ¿cómo? pues organizando negocios en el interior del edificio. Son auténticos emprendedores enjaulados. De hecho un rumor dice que la principal producción de cocaína del país viene de la penitenciaria de La Paz. Al pasar cerca de aquella construcción, algo casi inevitable pues está situada en el centro de la ciudad, se observan las largas colas de gente que rodea el edificio esperando su momento de ingreso.
Así que como se puede observar Bolivia es, como mínimo, un país curioso con una personalidad difícil de igualar. Unas raíces tan fuertes y unas costumbres tan añejas que hacen de él un lugar especial e interesante para ser visitado. Se podría seguir contando más y más, pero por desgracia solo fueron 16 horas.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
ENGLISH VERSION
When your trip has a 16-hour layover in a country you don't know, you have to take advantage of it and get out. In this case the place was Bolivia and El Alto airport, the international airport built at the highest altitude in the world at 4,000 meters above sea level. Right there, in the city of El Alto was the July 16 Fair, a market full of variety, and all for very few Bolivians. The highlight of that place was not its prices but its people. In Bolivia 70% of the population is indigenous.
These native ladies who use such a peculiar look are the "cholitas". Covering their legs they wear long skirts with many layers, there they are called polleras. They wear them to protect themselves from the cold and to look wider, something they see as a sign of fertility. On top they wear a blouse and a blanket tied around their necks in which they carry whatever they need, from their baby to their vegetables. On the head is the most striking feature, the hairstyle and the bowler hat. The long black hair is gathered in two braids to which they add fabric pompoms at the end to make them look longer. And on their heads they wear those small rounded hats that are out of harmony with the rest of their clothes.
They say that these hats were ordered in the 19th century by Pedro Domingo Murillo, considered the precursor of independence in Bolivia, for all the workers in the area. When the hats arrived, they were too small for the men, so they distributed them among their "cholitas" and told them that they were the latest fashion in Europe. From that moment on, the Borsalino hat became part of the typical clothing of these ladies. It has even created an interpretation of the marital status of the "cholita" according to how she wears the hat positioned on her head. A good indicator to know whether to approach her or not.
The descent to the city of La Paz, which is located in a hole, is also something curious. They have a cable car with several lines of different colors and several stations, a kind of aerial metro. Something very necessary considering the slopes on which the city is built. One does not understand what altitude sickness is until you are in a place like this. The sensation is strange, the body is getting tired and you feel as if your head is being oppressed from both sides. I discovered the remedy late, chewing coca leaves.
This esoteric town has remedies for everything. You can see in the "Mercado de las Brujas" that they are superstitious people, but one never imagines up to what level. In La Paz and some other cities of the altiplano, they still carry out customs that come from pre-colonial times. For example, making offerings of animals to mother earth, the Pachamama, in exchange for the prosperity of the community, family, love or even business.
Legend has it, and not so legend, that when they are going to make some big investment and build tall and expensive buildings, to make sure that everything goes well and the workers are healthy, they perform a macabre ritual. It consists of something like creating a bonfire with leaves, herbs, liquids and finally sacrificing a human as an offering. They considered the homeless the ideal prey for this work, since they had nothing to lose and no one to claim them. Someone of the interested parties would go to where these people used to be and choose one of them. They would invite him to enjoy drink and food in style, never better said, during the whole night. When the beggar no longer had any judgment, they would throw him into the fire and begin the session.
Something also outlandish is the operation of the prison of San Pedro, for there the prisoners must pay for entering the prison and for their stay there. They pay for their bed, their food and everything they use, and how? by organizing businesses inside the building. They are real entrepreneurs in a cage. In fact, rumor has it that the main cocaine production in the country comes from the penitentiary in La Paz. When passing near that building, something almost inevitable since it is located in the center of the city, you can see the long lines of people surrounding the building waiting for their time to enter.
So as you can see Bolivia is, to say the least, a curious country with a personality difficult to match. Such strong roots and ancient customs make it a special and interesting place to visit. I could go on counting more and more, but unfortunately it was only 16 hours.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Fotos y texto: hecho por mí
Congratulations @mofles! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 20 posts.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Hi @mofles,
Great to see you using the #travelfeed tag! We launched the #travelfeed curated tag more than 3 years ago and have been supporting the best travel blogs on Hive ever since. But did you know that TravelFeed has evolved? Based on the feedback of thousands of Hive travel bloggers we created TravelFeed.io.
TravelFeed.io brings together all the benefits of Hive decentralized blogging with features that you as a travel blogger will love: Photo galleries, Instagram embeds, custom maps, post scheduling and more. And if you want, you can even use our easy site builder to set up your own travel blog on your own domain which can be a great way to generate a passive income from your blog!
Unfortunately, focussing on developing the best platform for travelers means that we no longer curate the #travelfeed tag. But, you can log in with your Hive account on TravelFeed.io to publish your next travel post, and it will be posted to Hive automatically! Every day, we select the best posts and reward them with an upvote and added visibility.
We would love to see you on TravelFeed.io soon :)
!PIZZA
!BEER