Larry Memmott's Blog

Living in the Washington area has a lot of advantages.  One advantage it doesn’t have is easy access to the wilderness I seek out for solitude and relaxation.  The closest really satisfying wilderness for me is Dolly Sods, in West Virginia, but that’s a 3-4 hour drive, so I don’t go often. But there are […]

This is the second of two posts that serve as the “backbone” of my Guide to the Churches of Curahuara de Carangas and Sajama.  This post provides directions to the churches and other sites in and near the Sajama National Park, as well as links to descriptions of each of the sites.  The guide is […]

About halfway between Caquiaviri and the Bolivia/Chile border at Charaña are two hills on which the ancients chose to build a necropolis and a fortress.  I haven’t had the chance to fully explore these hills, but even the short visits I have made to this area have been very interesting. Even without climbing the hills you […]

Only about 2.5 miles south of the road to Curahuara de Carangas, the Chapel at Quilviri is a lovely example of colonial-era religious architecture.  In it’s simplicity and beauty, and with it’s twin bell towers, this chapel is similar to the Santa Barbara chapel in Curahuara de Carangas.  However, its location on the altiplano away […]

  Rosapata and Lerqu make a great side trip on your way to Curahuara de Carangas.  The two chapels are small and humble, but each is beautiful in its own way.  Also, the landscape is spectacular.  That said, this is not a trip to take in your nice sedan, and it is going to take […]

The area around Zongo, with many isolated mountain valleys, lakes, and ruins, including of several Inca roads, seems like a great place for exploring.  I’ve been hiking in the area, but haven’t been able to devote to it the time it deserves.  Jorge Pinto and a group from the Club de Excursionismo Andinismo y Camping […]

Huchusuma Chapel is the first of the Curahuara-area chapels on our route.  In fact, in the area of Curahuara de Carangas and Sajama there are more than 50 chapels, most of which were constructed in the colonial era.  Some are mere ruins, at this point, while others are beautifully constructed and maintained.  Huchusuma Chapel is […]

Chulpas (also Chullpas), the tombs of the ancestral peoples of the altiplano, are found almost everywhere on the high plains of Bolivia.  They seem to be particularly common along the road to Curahuara de Carangas.  There are many Chulpas, and I see more every time I take the road, so if you keep your eyes […]

This post is the first of two that serve as the “backbone” of this guide.  They focus on providing directions to the churches and other sites of the Curahuara de Carangas and Sajama areas and link to descriptions of each of the sites.  The guide is written from the perspective of someone traveling from La […]

There are many incredible biological reserves and national parks in Bolivia which are relatively little known.  Somehow, those seem to be the ones I usually get to.  The Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve sits on the edge of the altiplano, above Tarija.  We were driving to Tarija in March, 2013 and took the opportunity to […]