Walking Amidst History

June 29-30 2016 

When I visit a new place, I am always eager to discover its history. There are some places that are indubitably richer in history than others. Since I arrived just over a week ago, I have been struck by La Paz’s rich history and I am drawn to it.

When we visited La Basílica de San Francisco, someone pointed out to me the marks on the walls. When the indigenous people built this grand, elaborate stone church by hand, they had to meet quotas. In order to receive credit for their work, they carved their marks into the stones, marks that remain etched in the walls of the church still today. 

On the way to Calle Jean, I stopped at the Plaza Murillo. I was immediately taken by the colors of the buildings and the beautiful architecture. When we moved on to Calle Jean for the museums, the same sense of awe struck me again. This historic district drew me in as we learned of some of the older history of La Paz. I was particularly interested in the Guerra del Pacífico and its lasting impressions even in today’s society. I was asking my host father about it in the car and he said about it, “it’s terrible, but it’s over.” Yet, I understand many people do not share these sentiments. I am eager to learn more about this clash and its lasting implications. 

 

And finally, perhaps most ubiquitous, is the fascinating history of the cholitos and cholitas. Every day I pass them, I engage with them, we look at each other. I see the cholitas working at their stands on the streets, or accompanying their children to school on the bus, or carrying their children in bundles on their backs. They are silent and stoic, or outgoing and gregarious. I want to learn more of their culture. They are evidently integrated into the society today, but to what extent do they want to take part in the modern culture? I saw a woman follow her husband off the minibus one day and wondered about the relationship between husband and wife. And careful not to generalize, how do different men and women view their heritage and its role in modern life?

 

I love considering that I am standing in the exact spot where history has happened, where men and women stood before me and built the city with their hands, or fought for the things in which they believed. I cannot wait to learn more about these aspects of Bolivian history and I look forward to learning of even more aspects in our discussion in class.