Author: Joseph

In the southern part of the country are the extraordinary Uyuni Salt Flats and a vast wildlife sanctuary. We were lucky to visit when we did, as the flats were covered with a thin layer of water, creating in effect a vast mirror in which there was no horizon. One has the sensation of walking…

Bolivia was a country of considerable natural beauty. An exception was the city of Potosí, the western hemisphere’s wealthiest city in the 16th and 17th centuries. The city’s wealth came from a conical shaped mountain riddled with tunnels for mining silver. Less than 3% of the silver mined in Potosí stayed in the city, the…

Bolivia has two capitals: La Paz, the legislative center; and Sucre, the judicial capital. Sucre was (in terms of elevation) the lowest altitude of the trip (an oxygen-rich 9,000 feet). The colonial buildings of the city are well-maintained, most in the center whitewashed annually. Among the many churches is the cathedral, home of the sanctuary…

Bolivia’s first peoples pre-date the better known Incan civilization, which moved south through present-day Bolivia soon after the collapse around 1000 CE of the Tiwanaku culture. We visited the remarkable ruins at Tiwanaku (less than 10% has been excavated), and climbed over enormous stepped pyramids and walked through ruins of vast temples. Next to our…

At 14,000 feet La Paz is among the world’s loftiest capital cities. The city lines the walls of a deep canyon, almost 1,000 feet deep. The only level streets are on the floor of the canyon. Recently installed aerial gondolas float above the city, among their five or six distinct color-coded lines connecting most neighbors…