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Tag: La Paz

Museo de Instrumentos Musicales

This is our favorite museum in La Paz. It’s especially fun for kids, since there are many instruments you can play and play with. The number and variety of instruments is impressive. The museum is at the bottom of Calle Jaén which is well worth exploring anyway.

Aymara New Year at Tiwanaku

The Aymara new year tradition is quite different from those I have been accustomed to in other places. Rather than celebrating the night before, culminating at midnight, the Aymara celebrate at dawn on June 21 (winter solstice here in the southern hemisphere). This morning, I was up at 4 am to prepare for the drive […]

Metal Club in El Alto!

  Last night we went up to El Alto to check out the famed Oveja Negra rock bar, see one of our favorite bands and a couple of others.  As usual, we had a fantastic time.  We got there a little late, so missed Morbogore, but caught Angaros’ set, which was very good, and Armadura, […]

Jesus de Machaca Church and Archaeological Sites

The church in Jesus de Machaca looks quite different from other churches on the altiplano.  It also looks quite out of place for such a large and sumptuously decorated church to stand in such a small town in such an apparently poor region.  With its whitewashed facade and blocky look this church is an example of late renascence architecture.  German Ambassador […]

Natural Arches Near Tiwanaku

Maybe it should not have surprised me to find natural arches in Bolivia.  After all, the scenery is often reminiscent of that of Utah, my home state.  Still, it was a big surprise to look up from my sandwich as we picnicked on a rock outcropping south of Tiwanaku and see two natural arches.  They are only […]

Tiwanaku Church

If you are going to Tiwanaku, you should certainly visit the town and its church.  It is certainly worth noting that most of the stone used to build the town, and all of that used in the church, was taken from the Tiwanaku ruins.  For modern sensibilities, that would be a crime, but I suppose […]

Laja and It’s Church

Laja was founded as La Paz on October 20, 1548 by Alonso de Mendoza.  It lasted for three days, as the city was transferred to its current location on October 23.  Laja remained an important location and the first cathedral in Bolivia was built in the mid-17th century.  It is an imposing stone building with […]

Tiwanaku, Colonial Churches and Natural Arches

Tiwanaku is mandatory, even if you are in Bolivia for only a few days.  It is the premiere archaeological site in the country and provides an opportunity to learn about the longest lived empire in South America.  On the way to Tiwanaku, you can visit the first cathedral in Bolivia and the site of the founding of […]

Tiwanaku

The trip to Tiwanaku is a “must-do” excursion from La Paz.  The remains of the capital of the longest-lived empire in South America is something you don’t want to miss.  The ruins are impressive.  The history behind them is even more impressive.  I’m not going to get into all of that here, so you definitely […]

Alex Is Here!

Alex got here Thursday morning and we’ve been having a good time since then (even though work has been completely insane).  Friday night we went to the video taping of a concert by Bolivian metal group Armadura at the Ministry of Culture.  It was a blast. Saturday we went down to the Valley of the […]