A Journey through Bolivia
Last month I went on a truly wonderful textile tour through Bolivia that was sponsored by Andean Textile Arts. I had been scheduled to go on this trip in 2020, which was, of course, cancelled due to covid, and again in 2023, but a scheduling conflict kept me from joining. The third time was a charm - it couldn’t have been better, and I felt that it was worth the wait.
Two other board members from ATA joined me on this trip, along with half a dozen seasoned travelers and our two outstanding guides, Raul and Pedro. Raul is our much-beloved Peruvian guide who joins us on all our tours, and his Bolivian sidekick Pedro brought in such a wealth of information about the history of Bolivia, not to mention great stories with a great sense of humor, that he earned the title ‘Pedropedia’.
The trip was a perfectly balanced blend of rich textile experiences and beautiful scenery, along with lots of great meals and fun camaradie with our group. I came home full of stories, but am just going to present some of the highlights here.
Our trip began in Santa Cruz, which at 1365 feet in altitude gave people from lower elevations a chance to adjust before we gradually climbed up to over 13,000 feet. A morning tour of the vast covered market amazed us with the variety and quantity of colorful vegetables.
That afternoon we visited the Artecampo museum and store. It was beautifully set up with displays of textiles and information about the fibers they use and the products that they make. I was familiar with the shoulder bags they make from bromeliad fibers, having seen them for a number of years at the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, but hadn’t seen them there in several years. We were pleased to see a very nice variety of these bags for sale in their store, so I’m glad to know that the craft is thriving, and we all supported this effort with our purchases.
The next day we drove out to Buena Vista, to visit one of the associations that is a part of Artecampo. This group harvests the jipi japa palm leaves and weaves hats, baskets, and a variety of colorful small objects. After introducing themselves and serving us homemade hot chocolate and pastries we were treated to a fascinating demonstration.
After splitting the palm stalks into narrower strands, bundles are suspended in a wooden box where they are smoked with sulphur, which allows them to accept dye more readily. They are then dyed in an array of vibrant colors and the stalks are woven into beautiful objects. We took a short bus ride out to the weavers’ small village and were led on a walk out into the forest to see where they have planted and harvested the palm plants. After lunch we watched the weavers, many with small children in their laps, in their process of weaving their items. We got to try out a bit of it ourselves, which led to a greater appreciation of their craft and further purchases in the Artecampo store.
The next day we flew from Santa Cruz to the charming city of Sucre. After a walking tour of the center of the city we spent the afternoon at the ASUR textile museum. The museum is full of beautiful displays, lots of information and stunning textiles. There was a lineup of weavers with their simple looms propped against an outside wall, so we were able to watch the painstaking process of Jalq’a weaving, and of course, support their work in the adjoining store.
I had seen a few examples of Jalq’a weaving on my first trip to Peru in 2010 when I attended the first Tinkuy conference in Urubamba. I was amazed by the intricacy of the weaving and the magical world of the fantastical creatures captured inside them. Since that time I had been told that it was hard to find anyone doing this type of weaving anymore. Clearly the technique is alive and well now, thanks to the work that ASUR is doing to help weaving communities. Both Artecampo and ASUR are organizations that Andean Textile Arts is now supporting through grants.
The next day we had a bus trip of several hours with a stop along the way to walk a small section of the Inca trail and see amazing views over the Land of the Craters.
Once we arrived in the village of Irupampa, which is where many of the Jalq’a weavers live, we were treated to demonstrations of winding a warp, weaving several of the techniques, and even an opportunity to try out the Jalq’a weaving for ourselves, in addition to a beautiful lunch. I took a stab at the Jalq’a weaving myself, and after painstakingly making my way through a single row that took me about 45 minutes I could barely get up off the ground.
The next day was a Sunday, and we took another bus ride to visit the famous Tarabuco market. We spent a couple hours wandering around seeing lots of textiles, old and new, as well as many other fascinating things. But a highlight was seeing so many of the elders wearing their traditional dress and socializing with each other.
Afterwards we drove out to one of the communities of Tarabuco weavers. Once again we were treated to demonstrations of dyeing, weaving, and displays of the Tarabuco weaving, as well as the shearing of a sheep.
We were in for a very special treat as the members of the community were all dressed in their special ceremonial costumes. They performed a traditional dance for us with a group of the men playing flutes while the men and girls danced in a circle, with two young boys joining in from time to time.
After our time based in Sucre we drove to Potosí, which is a world heritage city that was very famous five centuries ago because of its silver mines. We visited the Mint Museum and some of our group took the optional climb to the mine to greet the miners as they emerged from their day’s work.
The next day we continued our drive onward to Uyuni, passing vast fields where hundreds of alpacas and vicuñas were grazing. We were able to get out and wander amongst the alpacas and enjoy the peaceful landscape. Uyuni is a small town at the edge of the largest salt flats in the world, covering about 6,000 square miles. We checked into our hotel, which was built out of salt blocks, and everything in our room was made of salt, other than the matresses and textiles.
I had been told that the salt flats were an unwordly experience and a favorite part of the tour, but I really couldn’t imagine it until I was there. We drove out in the early evening, getting there in time to wade in rubber boots through the two-inch depth of water in time to have a toast and watch the sunset. We all took pictures nonstop as the sun went down, each moment bringing another view that surely surpassed the one you saw just seconds earlier.
The next day was devoted to spending time at the salt flats after visiting a business that processes the salt into building blocks. We drove out to another area of the flats that wasn’t covered in water and had a picnic lunch out in the middle of the flats. Afterwards we visited and hiked on an island that was formed by petrified coral reefs.
For our next and final stop we flew to the city of La Paz. We spent an hour or so exploring what is known as the Witches’ Market, where we found some shops with beautiful vintage textiles amongst the many shops where curanderas sold all kinds of herbs and medicinal potions. Pedro took us to the shop of a curandera who he uses in his own life and she gave us a presentation about the various items that she carries.
That afternoon we spent several hours in the spectacular National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore looking at the beautiful displays of textiles, masks and objects made from the feathers of tropical birds.
The next day a group of weavers who were part of an association from Kallahuaya traveled several hours to come to our hotel and set up demonstrations of weaving, tables of textiles for sale, and a beautiful buffet lunch.
Besides many different weaving techniques we saw a range of weavers, from an eight year-old girl weaving a narrow belt with her mother watching on to an elderly woman who worked very slowly, though clearly her mind and her fingers still knew just what to do.
For our last day in Bolivia we took a cable car tour for spectacular views high up over the city of La Paz, which sits in a bowl that is surrounded by mountains. And a special dinner to close out our tour had us all sharing stories and going home with special memories. I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Bolivia…
