BOLIVIA TOURS

BOLIVIA AD-ON TOURS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Area
1,098,580 sq. km (424 162 square miles.).

Population
10 969 649 inhabitants.

Capital City
La Paz (population 2,406,377) and Sucre (population 132,000).

People

The people of Bolivia is well known for its traditional hospitality and smiling faces. The country offers a fabulous cultural legacy within a spectacular Andean panorama. The population is over 50% Indian, about 30% mestizo and some 20% white. This rich mixture has successfully preserved the old traditions, native customs and a fabulous folklore, now side by side, with a fast-developing society within modern urban areas.

Language

Spanish, but most Indians speak either Quechua or Aymara; composed dialects of Spanish-Aymara and Spanish-Quechua are also widely spoken.

Festivals

Besides Carnival, when natives dances ca be seen all over Bolivia, a huge festival with thousands of native dancers known as “La Fiesta del Gran Poder” takes place in La Paz (may or june). Smaller festivals are scheduled throughout the year and specially in the native villages; any family event such as a birthday or a wedding or even setting the roof on a new house is a reason for dancing and playing native music.

Cities:

La Paz: Capital and main tourist destination. Santa Cruz: tropical center of petroleum, lumber and agriculture. Cochabamba: colorful, agricultural city with perfect climate. Oruro: the mining town of the high plateau worldwide known for its fantastic carnival. Potosi: historic city and symbol of colonial times. Sucre: a colonial traditional city with a XVII century atmosphere. Tarija: a touch of Andalucia in the southern part of the country. Trinidad: the capital of Beni, the large Amazon area. Cobija: the capital of the northern Amazon area.

History

Bolivians’ history dates back to several thousand years. The Chiripas, Iru-itos, Muratos and Urus-Chipayas and finally the Tiwanacans reached high standards in culture and social structure. Later it became part of the extended Inca Empire until the arrival of the conquerors, and it was part of the Alto Peru until it became independent in 1825. Bolivia was the main source of silver and Potosi, the most populated city in the world, was an important as Paris for its mineral wealth. After the first Indian revolutions, which started in the XVI century, Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre finally liberated Bolivia.

The first agrarian reform, a profound social and economic revolution (1952) has drastically changed the country, and today its people are building a better future. Bolivia was more than twice the size that is today. International conflict with neighboring countries ended in the loss of large areas and of its seacoast, and the country became land locked. Today, with advanced political, economical and social systems, Bolivia is a modern, democratic country with fabulous history of different cultures and traditions.

Weaving And Handicrafts

Owing to the geographical isolation of many areas of the country, a large number of cultures have preserved the art and tecniques of ancient times. The variety, styles and colours are extraordinary, each area with its own characteristics. You can go to lots of different places and there are many artistic skills to appreciate.

With the help of private and state organizations this legacy is opening up and will be a major source of income for the Indian communities.

Music And Folklore

The history of Bolivia’s music and folklore is part of the great heritage of our Indian cultures. The music of the highlands is characterized by pentatonic scales and the wind instruments made of green canes. The effects of cold weather are reflected in the rhythm of the music, being a part of the rough conditions of life with deep feelings and melancholy. The central valleys, rich in soil with warm temperatures, have a more rhythmic music, played by Quechua speaking people dressed in colourful clothing. The green warm jungle lands of the Amazon in the east and north, are characterized by a completely different much faster music style.

This music has a Spanish influence and expresses the energies of the climate, nature and customs of the people. They use simple clothing, due to the hot weather, and lots of feathers and animal skins. All these areas have their own dances with beautiful, colourful clothing. Visiting them for their main celebrations is something special and worth seeing. A few examples include the Carnival of Oruro; the Ch’utillos in Potosi; the Gran Poder in La Paz; the entrance of the Virgin of Urkupiña in Cochabamba; the Pujllay in Tarabuco and the Macheteros in El Beni.

MAP OF BOLIVIA

LAKE TITICACA

According to the legend the Sun God Inti sent down to Earth his son Manco Capac and daughter Mama Ocllo in order to improve the life of the Andean people.

After descending on the Sun Island they founded the Inca Empire. Santa cruz Bolivia According to the legend the Sun God Inti sent down to Earth his son Manco Capac and daughter Mama Ocllo in order to improve the life of the Andean people.

After descending on the Sun Island they founded the Inca Empire. Traditionally regarded as the highest navigable body of water in the world, its dimensions measure 233km (145mi) from northwest to southeast and 97km (60mi) from northeast to southwest. popular market in Bolivia The lake has an indented shoreline, 36 islands and exceptionally clear sapphire-blue water.

Titicaca is revered by the Indians who live on its shores, and the Islas del Sol and Islas de la Luna, two islands in the lake, are the legendary sites of the Inca’s creation myths. Half of the lake lies within the borders of Peru. The main town in the area is Copacabana, which has a sparkling white Moorish-style cathedral and is host to the Fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria.

Isla Suriqui is world-renowned for its totora reed boats; Isla Kalahuta for its stone tombs; and Incas Island is reputed in legend to have an underground network of passageways linking it to Cusco, the old Inca capital of Peru. Several tours and cruises are available on Lake Titicaca, both in the Bolivian and the Peruvian sides.

Uyuni Salt Lake

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