Bolivia TodayBolivia TodaySharing Bolivia with the World. This Blog is dedicated to sharing information about Bolivia and bolivians with anybody who wants to know about us. Places, festivities, food, traditions, culture and much more. Articles
Oven Baked Sweet Humintas
2008-03-14 04:38:00 Ingredients12 big and tender corns4 eggs4 ounces of margarine4 ounces of cheese4 ounces of sugarAnisette, cinammon, salt, raisins at will, nuts.PreparationYour grind the corns with a bit of salt, then you heat well the margarine and mix it with grinded corn, beat the eggs separately and add sugar, grate the cheese, and just then add the eggs and cheese to the previous mass (corn mass). Next step you add the cinammon, the raisins and the nuts. You cover with margarine the baking pan where you will cook the humintas (like you do for a cake) you add on top the sugar, anisette and cinammon, and fnally all this preparation you put in the oven at a temperature of 250 celsius.NOTE: The secret lies in heating very much the margarine so that the preparation turns out well. More About: Baked , Sweet , Oven
Cochabamba, living with the local climate
2008-03-13 04:41:00 It is said about Cochabamba that it has one of the mildest climates in South America, with average temperatures around 15 to 25 celsius all year round. A climate which is a bit humid in summer and a bit dry in winter, a year round blue sky with some rains during summer (except this year because of the Niña we have had week of clouds) and no more than a week of clouds in a row, sun always shows up.Land is good so vegetation is very green in summer and mostly brown in winter. Temperature does vary during the day, sometimes changing as much as 15 celsius from the morning to midday, but nothing a sweater or a hat can't fix.Many bolivians or non-bolivians which retire choose Cochabamba to live because of it's mild climate and of it's extremely cheap cost of living. Others have an apartment locally so when winter arrives to the north parts of the world they come down to the southern hemisphere and enjoy the sun and nice warm climate. More About: Living , Climate , Local
Tapacari, land of the "Thari"
2008-03-12 06:28:00 Land of the "Thari" (or men nest), the province of Tapacari is southeast of the city of Cochabamba . It limits with the provinces of Ayopaya and Quillacollo. It has 1500 sq km which is about 2.7% of the land in the department of Cochabamba, found at 2900 meters over sea level. You can find mountain ranges, and four rivers run through it: Semana Umam, Huateqa (which flooded the old town found on its beach), Choroma and Chillca. All these join to create the Tapacari rivers which later goes into the Rocha river.Among there feasts and traditions, they have the "Fiesta Grande" or big party of the Virgen of Dolores in the las Sunday of September. They specially enjoy the tinku dances and have competitions of wuarak´as, chicote, wajta y a puñete (these are fights which use, following the list in quechua: slingshot, stick, spanking and fists). More About: Land
Flowers of Bolivia p.1
2008-03-11 05:31:00 The following flowers are not labeled since I do not know the names, if anyone does please comment and I will label them all. Most of the flowers are from Cochabamba, all from Bolivia . More About: Flowers
Bolivian Folkloric Dances - Llamerada
2008-03-09 07:03:00 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaMeaning of the Bolivia n Llamerada danceThis dance is ment to represent the Highland lama holders and breeders. Therefore the dancers traditionally hold a little lama in their left hand while rotating the "honda" in their right. Some claim that the Llamerada is a very old, even incaic dance, an argument mainly based on the fact that lama herding has been very important to the indigenous peoples of the Andes for centuries. There is very little known about how the actual version emerged; even the costumes have changed a lot during the last few decades. The headdress used at present is said to represent the traditional headdress of Aymara leaders and in fact it quite resembles the headdress of the "Mama Talla", the wife of an Aymara Community leader. More About: Dances
San Jose Festivity
2008-03-08 06:21:00 In Bolivia , on the 19th of March we celebrate "Father's day", which is also the saint's day of Saint Jose ph. A large festivity takes place in Quillacollo in the section of "Chulla Vinto", where several days of dances, drinks and a parade celebrate this event.Quillacollo from the air, in the center you can see the Cathedral of the Virgen of Urkupiña. More About: San Jose
Bolivian folkloric dances - Diablada
2008-03-06 06:57:00 The Diablada was probably inspired by native Bolivia n tales of the tio (devil) in the mine, who embodied the life-giving but dangerous power of the inner earth. After the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century, the local inhabitants were forced by their conquerors to work in the silver and tin mines where they faced great hardship and danger. The miners made offerings to the tio to avoid accidents and to help them find rich veins of precious metals.Miners dressed as diablos (devils) first appeared in the Oruro carnival in the 1790s. The writhing reptiles, toads, snakes and lizards on the masks derive from traditional healing practices connected with earthly fertility. More About: Dances
Another bolivian recipe, Humintas
2008-03-05 08:26:00 Ingredients10 big soft corns1 pound of margarine1 cup of sugar1 spoon of salt1 teaspoon of anisette1 teaspoon of grinded cinnamon2 packets of fresh PIL cheesegrinded hot pepper (ají); 2 spoons cooked in oilPreparationGrind the corn; add sugar, salt, anisette, cinnamon, boiling margarine, beaten eggs, Moler choclo; agregar, azúcar, sal, anís, canela, la manteca hirviendo, los huevs batidos, 1 crumbled cheese. The other cheese, also crumbled, you mix with the hot pepper. To the prepared chalas (envelope like things made of corn leaves) put a spoon of the preparation and in the middle of this a teaspoon of hot pepper with cheese, cover this with another spoon of preparation and wrap as usual, tieing a know. Boil in a pot with little water and salt (on top of a layer of corn leaves). More About: Recipe , Bolivia
Bolivian folkloric dances - Morenada
2008-03-03 13:36:00 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Morenada is one of Bolivia ´s most popular Highland dances. There are several theories about its origins which are fiercely debated among the specialists in this topic. Basically there are three hypothesis: The most commonly distributed one says that the dance was inspired in the sufferings of the African slaves brought to Bolivia in order to work in the Silver Mines of Potosí. The enormous tongue of the dark masks is ment to represent the physical state of these mines workers and the rattling of the Matracas are frequently associated with the rattling of the slaves´ chains. However, there is no evidence that these African slaves really worked IN the mines. There is quite a lot of evidence that they did work in the Casa de la Moneda in the production of the coins and in domestic service, but not as miners themselves. A second theory relates the Morenada to the afro-Bolivians living in the Yungas region and the stamping of wine/the wine product... More About: Dances
Bolivian folkloric dances - Caporales
2008-03-01 08:32:00 The following is a detailed description of the "Caporales" folkloric dance. After it you will find a video showing the dance itself.Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CaporalesCap orales is a typical Bolivia n dance. It is a legacy of the Spanish colony where caporales were Spaniards born in the colonies. After the Spaniards left both countries, caporales began as a dance to show that legacy. The dance however has a prominent religious aspect. One supposedly dances for The Virgin of Socavon (patroness of miners) and promises to dance for three years of one's life. According to Researchers at the University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, the caporales is a Bolivian dance that came from the Tundiki and Saya, Afro Andean dances of the Yungas region, Bolivia and were presented formally as caporales in the religious festival of Gran Poder, La Paz Bolivia en the 40's by the Escalier family.It has been popularized greatly and is also danced in neighboring countries such as Peru and ... More About: Dances
Quillacollo, home of the Virgen of Urkupiña
2008-02-29 17:28:00 This province has an extension of 1750 square kilometers which make up the the province closer to the department capital. This valley province limits to the north with the Andes range and to the south with the lower valleys which limit with the provinces of Capinota and Arque. It has several rivers and streams which come down from the Tunari range and which come down from the Tunari mountain, these unite with the Tamborada rivers which crosses this province through the Rocha rivers and the overflows of the Angosture dike which starts in the higher vallyes and around the valleys of Punata, cliza and Tarata.This town is home of the Virgen of Urkupiña and once a year, in the month of August, it receives hundreds of thousands of visitors which come for the festivity from all over the world. The city is famous for this festivity and it is the most important national religiuos festivity in Bolivia. This single event has defined the urban map of the city, where all the city is oriented t... More About: Home , Cochabamba
Mizque
2008-02-28 05:45:00 The Mizque province was created in June 24th, 1876, dividing it into one city, three sections and three sucsections, of which we can highlight the following; Molinedo, Taboada, Tin Tin, Cauta and Vicho Vicho. There are an aproximate 60000 inhabitants living in this province of which most live in the rural areas. This province has a rather dry climate, with scarce and irregular rains. The average temperature runs between 16 and 18 degrees celsius. During winter the temperature drops, reaching frequently cero degrees. Mizque is found in a climate zone with scarcity of water. However there are reasonable water reserves which are not being used, according to studies done by the Universidad Mayor de San Simón.The main productive activity is in agriculture and sheeps. To less degree are minery and handicrafts. Agriculture is nevertheless weak and with very little technology, quite primitive. There is a growing, yet small, industry of cheese and some beverages. The living conditions are v... More About: Cochabamba
Cliza
2008-02-24 06:03:00 Whoever visits Cliza has to taste the delicious roast pigeons or the chicha from Aunt Elsa. The German Jordan province, of which Cliza is the capital, was created during the government of Eliodoro Villazon, through government law on the 21st of September of 1912. The approximate surface of the province is of 305 sq. km., with around 50000 thousand inhabitants. The population has seen many people leave for other countries specially to Argentina and Spain. The local government is currently implementing policies to change productivity, health and education , trying to stop the worker drain. During the last two years so many people have left for Spain that many children are left with grandparents, uncles or any relative. These are receiving the money which comes from their parents in Spain, so you now find nice three story houses being built throughout the high valley. Unfortunelly, these broken families are the breeding zone of many sad stories as we can read frequently on the local n... More About: Cochabamba
Bolivian wildlife, one if its many treasures
2008-02-24 05:34:00 I want to briefly introduce some of the animals which make the bolivian wildlife, which is known as one of the most diverse in the world. I will later post information on specific animals which are unique to Bolivia , for now here you have a short list of some of the animals which you can find in the diverse ecosystems available in the bolivian territory. Tucan Vicuña LlamasParrotParrotsTiti MonkeysMountain LionHummingbirdCondor GuacharoHawkHuallata More About: Wildlife , Treasures
Capinota, land of changes
2008-02-23 05:37:00 Capinota is found in the Lower Valley of the Department of Cochabamba . It limits to the north with the Cercado provnce, on the northeast with Quillacollo, to the southeast with Arque, to te south with the departmet of Potosi and to the east with the Esteban Arze province (Tarata). It has an area of 1.495 square km. Until 1908 it was part of the Arque province, year in which it was divided throught a State Decree on the 1st of Octobre. Throught its territory go two important rivers: Rocha and Arque, which unite near the town of Capinota, forming the Caine river and thus connecting this regions with the rest of the interandine valleys, and to the highlands of Oruro and Potosi. It was here that certain contacts happened that influenced the development of the cultures of North Potosi. They also served as a natural and short access route between the mesotermic valleys of Cochabamba and the Altiplano. The Capinota province contains a series of arquelogical grounds, where the prehistoric p... More About: Land
Chicken Chanka
2008-02-22 04:13:00 This dish is tipically served in Cochabamba whenever a good soup is wanted. Ingredients1 chicken2 or 3 pounds of potatoes2 or 3 pounds of peas1 or 2 pounds of beans4 tails of green onionsPreparation You cook the chicken with plenty of water, salt, pepper and some parsley. On separate pots you cook the peas, beans; and in the moment you remove from these from fire you include the green onions cut in thin slices. More About: Chicken
Aiquile, best memories of its splendor
2008-02-22 03:58:00 The journalist José Medrano Carrillo remember Aiquile in the golden years of the 40's, when alcohol and a big agricultural production came mainly from the famous properties of Quiroga, Omereque y Novillero.?In the decade from 1940 to 1950.The Aiquile society lived a period of relative well being on the basis of agriculture, where the production happened withing a semifeudal system which kept the peasants under a servanthood. Together with alcohol production there was sugar cane, cattle, handicrafts, woodwork, textiles and others. Those were good times, where commerce became a very lucrative activity. In those years Aiquile as the capital of the province was a city in constant growth and urban expansion. Two rivers, Santa Ana y San Juan, met nearby at Uchuchajra. There were buildings and homes which reflected a well being not common for those days, nevertheless there was always water and sewage system limitations. Most people had big pigpens, being these a sign of a certain wealth, ... More About: Memories , Cochabamba
Bolivar, a province with the name of the liberator
2008-02-21 04:42:00 Many Cochabambine ignore that there exists a province with the name of the Liberator. The formerly know as Quirquiawi, conquered by the quechuas ninety five years ago is named after the Liberator Simón Bolívar. In the fairs and markets of this province they still use exchange. The traditions tells us that the winner of Boyacá, Carabobo y Junín passed with his troops several times through these lands. And this motivated the inhabitants o fthe Quirquiawi etnic group to make a homenage naming their land ?Bolívar?, after the Liberator. Bolívar is found where the provinces of Potosí, Oruro and Cochabamba meet, at some 3.500 to 4.200 meters over sea level, with a population of 12 thousand. The 31st of January of 1985, by a State Law, it became the fifteenth provincia of the departament, with an extension of 446 square kilometers, 8 cantones and 61 communities.For many years the population of Bolívar has lived from farming activities. Ninety percent of its potatoe production is turned in...
Ayopaya, The island of José Miguel
2008-02-20 05:21:00 Ayopaya is a real jack-in-the-box, full of surprizes, the recent news from this far away and little known province confirm this telling us of arquelogical treasures and unsuspected economical resources. The writer and lawyer Renato Crespo Paniagua details a profile of Ayopaya, one of the richest and most forgotten provinces of the departament. Author of the novel "The island of José Miguel â€, which tells aobut the civil fights between morochateños and “independantists†for the capital of the province towards the end of last century, Crespo Paniagua reflects about the destruction of the forests, the beauty of the landscape in the province, and some paradojic happenings as the construction of a 300 thousand dollar church, in contrast with the extreme poverty of the farmer communities. The two sections in which the province divides, Independencia and Morochata, present a surprizing variety of geographical contours, from the lowlands unitl the tropics, passing throught the inte... More About: Island
Arque, past glory
2008-02-19 04:37:00 Memories of an almost ghost town. Back in the good old days, train travellers anxiously waited for the stop at the Arque Station to have a taste of the delicious "empanadas" and bread. Nowadays things have changed with the dismanteled railway. The province of Arque was created during the government of Mariscal Antonio José de Sucre, throught a state decree on the 23d of January of 1826. The approximate area covered by the Arque Province is of 1.077 km2., with a density of 16.94 inhabitants per square kilometer. The 1992 census established a total of 296 inhabitants for the capital of the province, but the reality is that Arque has had for the last years a serious exodus, due to poverty and unemployment. The town is found on the borders of the turbulent Arque river , which runs from west to east and is one of the sources of the Caine river and thus of the Grande or Guapay river. In 1881, a flood of cathastrophic dimensions completely eliminated great part of the town, barely leaving ... More About: Past , Cochabamba , Glory
Arani, a town known for the best bread in Cochabamba
2008-02-18 03:58:00 Land of wind and stone mills.Created by Decree on the 24th of November of 1914 under the government of Ismael Montes, Arani is a town which has an image which is associated with winds, the beautiful women of Pocoata and the bread produced with the flour which is grinded by stone mills from the time of the colony. The geographic and climatic variety of this province, stimulated the well known Cochabambine researcher Guillermo Urquidi to elaborate a long monography, which until now is the most complete study of Arani.Describing the sights which surround the town, Urquidi says: "On the north,far away in the blue horizon, we can see the tall summits of the Oriental Chain of the Andes all covered by snow. Climbing the chain 5 leagues to the east of Arani, you arrive to the plateau of Vacas, of 4 or 5 leagues of circumference, where you can find the famous lagoons of Parco_Cocha, Azero-Cocha, Colpa-Cocha, Totora-Cocha and Yanatam, all connected one with the other, and which are part of se... More About: Town , Bread , Cochabamba
FEICOBOL, the Cochabamba International Fair
2008-02-17 00:06:00 The Cochabamba Fair was born in the year 1974, with the objective of expanding the markets and exchange of commercial and industrial experiences; managed and developed by the local Mayor Hall, with the support of private businessmen. It is in janauary of 1992 that according to the beginning of decentralization of local government activities and because of management issues, ut with the intention of achieving a higher efficancy, that management is granted to the Federation of Private Business Entities of Cochabamba (FEPC), which organizes the Foundation for the International Fair of Cochabamba Bolivia (FEICOBOL). This company is non profitable, and seeks to broaden the markets and permanent exchange in the commercial and industrial areas in the department, country and world. Nowadays on an annual basis, a multisector fair is done: "International Cochabamba Fair" and also three monographic fairs: "Fair for Ecological Products, Certificates, Naturals, Environment and Health", "Fair fo...
A couple of maps of downtown Cochabamba
2008-02-15 03:30:00 These two maps provide information on facilities and touristic places in downtown Cochabamba .This is a general map of all the downtown area: (for details click on it)A smaller map of only the blocks around the main square "14 de Septiembre": More About: Downtown , Couple , Maps
Universidad Catolica Boliviana (Catholic University of Bolivia)
2008-02-14 05:39:00 The Universidad Católica Bolivia na (UCB) was the first university of private characteristics which is recognized by the Bolivian State and that has cooperation agreements with the state university, having the capability of granting Academic Diplomas and University Degrees. It was founded under the resolution of the Bolivian Bishops Conference in 1966, starting its activities in the city of La Paz. In 1971 the UCB San Pablo was founded in Cochabamba on the basis of the Higher Institute of Theological Studies (ISET) with the careers of Religion and Philosophy. Afterwards, towards 1990 the carrer of Social Communication started and likewise different profesional disciplines started to broaden the academic offer of the UCB.The UCB also has a program in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, counting with different careers related to human sciences and the Higher School of Audiovisual Communication "Diakonía". Presently the UCB has three universitary campus in Cochabamba: on which the acad... More About: Catholic
The city of Trinidad, Beni is about to completely flood
2008-02-14 05:28:00 According to experts just three to four hours of rain are enough to almost completely flood the city of Trinidad , capital of the department of Beni , in northeast bolivia.40000 people must be evacuated, there are already 17000 living in tents and improvised shelters. Many complain that the government has acted too slow and that help was already needed almost a month ago. The bolivian government declared Beni an area of national disaster just this week.Aproximately 160000 square km are flooded in Beni, which has an extension of 200000 square km. The situation is still not improving and help is very needed. In cochabamba many people are gathering food, clothes and other goods and sending them to Beni through institutions like the Catholica church or NGOs, unfortunelly government agencies are very corrupt and nobody trusts giving any donations to them. More About: City , Flood
Universidad Mayor de San SImon
2008-02-13 05:36:00 The University Mayor de San Simón (UMSS) was founded through the law of the 5th of November of 1832 by Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz. Its first faculty was the Law Facultyand the second the Medecine Faculty. The Spanish universities were the model that was used for the creation of the higher public education institution in Bolivia. They also corresponded to the semifeudal structure which extended in the country until the year 1952, year of the National Revolution which finished the huge landed estates and brought the mines under government control. Previously, as a result of the reforming influence of Cordoba, twords 1928 the university students guided by José Antonio Arze started a movement which gave place to Universitary Authonomy and later, to the Student Teacher Shared Governmentl. In reality, the referendum of 1931 during the government of Gral. Carlos Blanco Galindo possibilitated the rearrangeing of the university to modern structures, ending a period of a monastery structur... More About: Simon , Cochabamba , Universidad
The art of Movies in Bolivia
2008-02-12 06:13:00 At the end of the 20th century, the first film men came through the port of Guaqui to La Paz to show black and white movies in the Town Theatre and in private houses. The magic of movies soon turned on in the seat of the government and twords 1904 the first boliviandocumentals started to be filmed.The camera took hold of "paceños" (people from La Paz), even though the people who loved theatre protested against this invention which even ?the said- provoqued blindness among the assistants, and also provoqued acts against moral protected by the darkness of the projection room. The movies passed through two historical periods: the silent movies and later sound movies. The Chaco War (1932 ? 1935) took place at the same time as the transition from the silent to the sound movies, leaving for the future filmed documentals about the conflict with Paraguay. The charm of movies, however, didn't limit to La Paz, but the projectors and movie workers started to go to all the cities of Bolivia , a... More About: Movies
Famous Painters of Bolivia (part 2)
2008-02-12 05:28:00 To continue and finish with some of the famous painters of Bolivia here you have some of the best know paintings:Raul Prada Reque Meruvia Rodolfo SaavedraMario UnzuetaMelchor Perez de Olguin More About: Famous , Part
Famous Painters of Bolivia (part 1)
2008-02-11 04:21:00 The following are samples of the paintings of some of the most famous bolivian painters. This include modern painters, I will also include famous painters from the colonial period in part two of this post. David Antezana Gildaro Antezana Heidi Landaeta Israel BeltranJose RodriguezIf you would like to know more about any of these painters or other famous Bolivia n painters please comment this post and I will do my best to get more information. More About: Famous , Part
90 groups danced today in the Cochabamba Carnival Parade "Corso de Corsos"
More articles from this author:2008-02-10 06:35:00 Ninety groups coming from all over Bolivia, valleys, east, chaco and highlands together with soldiers which changed their uniforms for carnival customes. These latter were hundreds and had fancy parade cars with different subjects.Folcloric dancers were also in large numbers, there was 60 groups which came from 5 different departments, with new dances and beutiful customes. They started around noon and there was groups of up to 200 dancers.Oruro participated with the "Morenada" dance of the Transpeco group and with "Tobas" Central, another dance. La Paz presented its traditional "Llamerada". From Potosi came the "Tinkus", from Sucre came several dances with Los Destacadaso and likewise for Santa Cruz came Ballet Union Gabriel Rene Moreno with several typcial dances.This year all the groups had a longer distance to cover as you an see in the image, an additional half a kilometer was added, adding the total distance of the Corso de Corsos to four kilometers. More About: Carnival , Today , Parade , Groups , Cochabamba 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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