I have to admit that I knew next to nothing about Bolivia before I came here. Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and Che falling to hitmen from USA and that´s about it. It´s a big country that seems to have had more than it´s fair share of invasion and interference and no sooner had it declared itself an Independent country than all the neighbours moved in to annexe parts of it´s territory. The hardest to come to terms with has been losing access to the sea when Chile moved in and made Bolivia a landlocked country.
Long before that, waves of settlers and conquerors had moved across the continent establishing their empires and cultures. The Inca ruled Peru, Bolivia, Equador and more besides before they fell to the Spanish Conquistadores. Much that is ´typical´stems from this. The Bolivian dress for the women was made compulsory by Spain as it was feared that retaining of the old style of dress would lead to revolution. So, the women were forced to adopt a Spanish style of long, flounced skirt over many petticoats, an embroidered blouse and a fringed shawl. The shawl is always folded to a rectangle, never a triangle, and secured with either a safety pin, or a very elaborate silver or gold pin according to status. The ´typical´bowler hat was a much later addition and was introduced from Italy. The story goes that it was a fashion for men, but the men would not wear it, so a publicity campaign stated the hats were good for fertility -- and the women began to wear them and have done so ever since!
Coca has long been a bone of contention and La Paz has an excellent Coca Museum that details the history and many uses of the leaf. As a Sacred plant used by the Inca nobility it was deemed a thing of the devil and condemned by the Spanish Church. However, they had to give way when it was found that the slaves in the gold and silver mines worked longer, harder and with less aggro if they chewed the coca leaf and so a Royal decree from Spain made coca usable again. Later, coca cola was developed and used small amounts of cocaine in the manufacture and a particular ´tonic wine´sold in France and containing cocaine was endorsed by the Pope! Later still, an American banker declared coca to be the cause of mental slowness and general poverty and so the World Bank moved in to stop production with some severity. Now, the Bolivian President, who came from a coca growing region, is working for the rights to grow and chew the sacred leaf.
Bolivia now has a new constitution and a Government that states the aim of equality for all the classes. It´s a country rich in resources but extremely poor in the benefits to the population as a whole. As in so much of the world, the wealth is concentrated amongst a minority and it will be interesting to watch and see if Bolivia can lead the way for other nations to follow into a Brave New World.
Long before that, waves of settlers and conquerors had moved across the continent establishing their empires and cultures. The Inca ruled Peru, Bolivia, Equador and more besides before they fell to the Spanish Conquistadores. Much that is ´typical´stems from this. The Bolivian dress for the women was made compulsory by Spain as it was feared that retaining of the old style of dress would lead to revolution. So, the women were forced to adopt a Spanish style of long, flounced skirt over many petticoats, an embroidered blouse and a fringed shawl. The shawl is always folded to a rectangle, never a triangle, and secured with either a safety pin, or a very elaborate silver or gold pin according to status. The ´typical´bowler hat was a much later addition and was introduced from Italy. The story goes that it was a fashion for men, but the men would not wear it, so a publicity campaign stated the hats were good for fertility -- and the women began to wear them and have done so ever since!
Coca has long been a bone of contention and La Paz has an excellent Coca Museum that details the history and many uses of the leaf. As a Sacred plant used by the Inca nobility it was deemed a thing of the devil and condemned by the Spanish Church. However, they had to give way when it was found that the slaves in the gold and silver mines worked longer, harder and with less aggro if they chewed the coca leaf and so a Royal decree from Spain made coca usable again. Later, coca cola was developed and used small amounts of cocaine in the manufacture and a particular ´tonic wine´sold in France and containing cocaine was endorsed by the Pope! Later still, an American banker declared coca to be the cause of mental slowness and general poverty and so the World Bank moved in to stop production with some severity. Now, the Bolivian President, who came from a coca growing region, is working for the rights to grow and chew the sacred leaf.
Bolivia now has a new constitution and a Government that states the aim of equality for all the classes. It´s a country rich in resources but extremely poor in the benefits to the population as a whole. As in so much of the world, the wealth is concentrated amongst a minority and it will be interesting to watch and see if Bolivia can lead the way for other nations to follow into a Brave New World.
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