Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
October 2012. A former
tambo
(wayside market and inn), it houses temporary exhibitions.
Past exhibitions include cultural photos of Mexico and Peruvian art.
MARKET
Mercado de Hechicería
(Witches' Market;)
The city's most unusual market lies along Calles Jiménez and Linares
between Sagárnaga and Santa Cruz, amid lively tourist
artesanías
(stores selling locally
handcrafted items). What is on sale isn't witchcraft as depicted in horror films and Hal-
loween tales; the merchandise is herbal and folk remedies, plus a few more unorthodox in-
gredients intended to manipulate and supplicate the various malevolent and benevolent
spirits of the Aymará world. An example of these types of ingredients is dried toucan
beaks, intended to cure ills and protect supplicants from bad spirits.
If you're building a new house you can buy a llama fetus to bury beneath the corner-
stone as a
cha'lla
(offering) to Pachamama (Mother Earth), encouraging her to inspire
good luck therein. If someone is feeling ill or is being pestered by unwelcome or bother-
some spooks, they can purchase a plateful of colorful herbs, seeds and assorted critter
parts to remedy the problem. As you pass the market stalls, watch for wandering
yatiris
(witch doctors), who wear dark hats and carry coca pouches, and offer (mainly to locals)
fortune- telling services.
Inquiries and photographs taken here may be met with unpleasantness - ask politely
first.
MUSEUM
Museo de la Coca
(Linares 906, Rosario; admission B$10; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri)
Chew on some facts in-
side the small, slightly tired Coca Museum, which explores the sacred leaf's role in tradi-
tional societies, its use by the soft-drink and pharmaceutical industries, and the growth of
cocaine as a party drug. The displays (ask for a translation in your language) are educa-
tional, provocative and evenhanded.
Iglesia Indígena de San Pedro
(Plaza San Pedro, San Pedro)
Founded in 1549 and finished at the end of the 18th century
after the siege of La Paz by Tupac Katari, the 'Indigenous Church of San Pedro' has
baroque and neoclassic touches.
CHURCH
