Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE UNIQUE CHIPAYA COMMUNITY
About 180km southwest of Oruro, the remote village of Chipaya is home to the
Chipayas
,
an ethnic group culturally and linguistically distinct from both the Aymara and Quechua.
Now confined to a small territory in this desolate region, the Chipayas are thought to have
descended from the
Urus
. Driven into the unforgiving environment of this remote corner
of the Altiplano over several centuries under population pressure from the Aymara, the
Chipayas eke out a marginal living by growing quinoa, fishing and catching aquatic birds.
Despite their desperate poverty, the Chipayas have maintained their unique language, cul-
ture and religious beliefs, and many of the village's buildings are still distinctive
circular
huts
with doors made from cactus and roofs thatched with aquatic reeds. If you're interes-
ted in observing something of the Chipayas's daily life, contact
Charlie Tours
.
Lago Poopó
Heading south from Oruro you pass the shallow, brackish waters of
Lago Poopó
. Flamingos
are sometimes spotted here, though mining pollution has greatly reduced their numbers. At
Challapata, an important market centre, the road forks: one branch continues south to
Uyuni
;
the other climbs into the mountains to the southeast, passing through a series of high plains,
then dropping into a deep valley before climbing again to reach
Potosí
, 201km from Chal-
lapata.
Potosí
I am rich Potosí, treasure of the world, king of the mountains, envy of kings.
Legend on Potosí's coat of arms
On a desolate, windswept plain amid barren mountains at almost 4100m above sea level,
POTOSÍ
is the highest city in the world, and at once the most fascinating and tragic place in
Bolivia. It owes its existence to
Cerro Rico
(Rich Mountain), which rises imperiously above
the city to the south. Cerro Rico was the richest source of silver the world had ever seen:
its mines turned Potosí into the richest jewel in the Spanish emperors' crown, and one of
the world's wealthiest and largest cities. In the early seventeenth century its population was
160,000, far bigger than contemporary Madrid, and equal in size to London. The expression
“
eso vale un Potosí
” (“this is worth a Potosí”) was used in colloquial Spanish to describe
anything priceless. However, this wealth was achieved at the expense of the lives of millions
of indigenous forced labourers and African slaves.
Today, Potosí, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a treasure-trove of
colonial art and ar-
chitecture
; it has more than two thousand colonial buildings, many of which have been re-
