Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
Ap 15-21)
In keeping with its gaucho heritage, Tarija stages an annual rodeo in
Parque Héroes de la Tablada
, beginning on the departmental holiday. Rodeo Chapaco
includes all the standard cowboy events. To get there, take
micro C
from the center.
Fiesta de San Roque
(
Aug 16)
Tarija's well-known Fiesta de San Roque gives thanks to the saint whose ap-
pearance supposedly marked the end of the plague and leprosy in the area. The main cel-
ebration, however, doesn't begin until the first Sunday of September and then continues
for eight days. It features traditional musical performances and a colorful
Chuncho
(an in-
digenous tribe) procession in which the participants wear 'cover-all' clothes traditionally
worn by lepers. A statue of the saint is carried, his clothes being changed daily during the
festival, and believers line the streets asking him to cure their family's ills.
RELIGIOUS
Fiesta de las Flores
(
2nd Sun in Oct)
The annual Fiesta de las Flores is a religious celebration dedicated to
the Virgin of Rosario. It begins with a procession, which sets off from the Iglesia de San
Juan. Along the route, spectators shower participants with petals. The highlight of the day
is a colorful fair and bazaar in which the faithful spend lavishly for the benefit of the
Church.
RELIGIOUS
THE CHAPACO CARNAVAL
Tarija is Bolivia's music and dance region, famous for its unique traditions and loud, colorful festivals, especially
during Carnaval (
www.carnaval.tarija.gov.bo
, in Spanish), when all
chapacos
(Tarija locals) come out to dance,
sing and party the days away. If you find yourself in the region during a fiesta, here's what to expect.
The folk music of Tarija features unusual woodwind instruments, such as the
erque
and
quenilla,
the
caña
and
the
camacheña
. The song that accompanies the music is called a
copla
- a direct import from Spain - with comic
verses, sung in a duet. The dance that tops it all off is the traditional
Chuncho
; dancers wear colorful outfits,
feathered headgear and masks, symbolizing the Chiriguano tribes and their long-term resistance against the con-
querors.
Tarija's Carnaval is one of the most animated in Bolivia and brilliant fun. To launch the festivities, two
Thursdays before Carnaval Tarija celebrates the
Fiesta de Compadres
. This unique fiesta is Tarija's largest pre-
Carnaval festival. It's assumed that the celebration, originating in the village of Pola de Siero, in the northern
Spanish region of Asturias, was inspired by the wives of Spanish colonial authorities and soldiers, who saw to it
that social customs and morals were strictly followed. It was eventually adopted by the local indigenous popula-
tion and is now celebrated by the entire community with music, dancing and special basket tableaux constructed
of bread known as
bollus preñaus
. Flowers, fruits, tubers, small cakes and other gifts are passed between female
friends and relatives.
