BOLIVIA
Gabriella stopped briefly to catch her
breath. It seemed she had been doing
that a lot since arriving in La Paz, Bolivia,
two days earlier. The local people told
her that her symptoms weren’t unusual.
At 12,000 feet above sea level, La Paz’s
air is thin, and newcomers need time to
adjust to the lack of oxygen.
As Gabriella explored La Paz, she was
amazed at its beauty. Surrounded by
the high, snowcapped peaks of the Andes, the city of 1.5 million people was
full of activity. Homes and apartments
stretched up the sides of nearby mountain slopes almost as far as she could see.
Later, Gabriella planned to travel west
to the rain forests of an area called the
Oriente. She was told that it rains nearly
every day there and is often steamy and
hot. That would be much different from
the cold, dry air of the mountains.
If she still had time during her trip, Gabriella wanted to visit a sparsely populated
area of Bolivia called the Chaco. The locals warned her that some parts of this
area was so hot and dry that not even
plants and animals wanted to live there!
Wherever her travels took her, Gabriella
wanted to be sure to move slowly — for
two reasons. She wanted to adjust to the
altitude and she wanted to learn as much
as possible about this fascinating land
and the people who live there!
THE COUNTRY
With a land area of 424,164 square miles, Bolivia is slightly smaller than Texas and California
combined.
The Andes Mountains runs down the length
of western Bolivia. A high plateau, called the
Altiplano, runs between two Andes ranges.
The world’s highest ski resort and golf course
are on the Altiplano.
Bolivia is named for Simon Bolivar, who helped
win Bolivia’s independence from Spain in
1825.
The highest navigable lake in the world is Lake
Titicaca, which Bolivia shares with Peru.
Bolivia has two capitals: Sucre, where the
Supreme Court meets, and La Paz, where the
rest of the government is conducted. La Paz’s
altitude is the highest of any national capital in
the world.
Llamas and alpacas are
vital to farmers in the high
Andes. They thrive well
in the harsh climate, and
their wool provides warm
clothes for the people.
Since Bolivia is in the southern hemisphere, its seasons
are opposite those in North America.
Bolivia’s flag is made up of three horizontal
stripes — red on top, yellow in the center,
and green on the bottom. The nation’s coat of
arms is in the center of the yellow stripe.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
You will need
Pencil and paper
Here are three Bolivian proverbs. What do you
think they mean? Write your thoughts and take
them to a club meeting to compare with the
other girls’ opinions.
THE PEOPLE
Bolivia’s population is 9,119,152
— about the same as Georgia.
Bolivia has the largest Native American population
in South America. The two largest Native American
groups are the Quechua and Aymara.
Although less than 10 percent of Bolivia’s land is
suitable for growing crops, farming is the main occupation among the people.
The average income in Bolivia is about $1,000
per year. Forty percent of the population lives in
extreme poverty.
Most Bolivians are Roman Catholic, but their beliefs are often mixed with traditional tribal beliefs.
People in cities dress mostly in Western-style
clothing, but those living in rural mountain areas
wear more traditional clothing. Women wear long
ruffled skirts, called polleras, along with blouses,
shawls and bowler hats. Men are known for their
chullos — woven skull caps with ear flaps.
Meat is served at most meals. High in the mountains where crops are hard to grow, farmers often
grow quinoa, a grain that is rich in protein.
Two traditional musical instruments in Bolivia are
the sampones (reed panpipes) and the charango (a
miniature guitar).
Soccer is the favorite sport among Bolivians.
Bolivia has three official languages: Spanish,
Quechua, and Aymara.
1. A quarrel is like buttermilk. The more you
stir it, the sourer it grows.
2. If you marry wise judgment, peace will
become your brother-in-law.
3. It’s easier to know your enemies than to
know your friends.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Uyuni Salt Flat in southwest Bolivia is the largest salt plain in the world. At 4,085 square
miles, it is more than two and a half times the size of Rhode Island! A tourist attraction at
Uyuni is a hotel built completely of salt. Even the beds, chairs, and tables are made of salt.
Women in Bolivia traditionally wear bowler hats. How the hats got to Bolivia is anyone’s
guess, although most people think merchants shipped them to South America for Europeans living there. They weren’t well-received by the men, but the Bolivian women liked
them!
A popular guitarlike instrument, the charango was once made by attaching strings across
an armadillo shell.
Several islands in Lake Titicaca are made completely of totora, a type of reed. During rainy
season, the islands float! The reeds at the bottom of the islands disintegrate rapidly, so the
islanders must constantly add totora to the top.
Chuno, or freeze-dried potatoes, is a common food among the Quechua and Aymara Indians. This food was traditionally made by freezing the potatoes in the cold night temperatures and then exposing them to the warm sun during the day. To remove the skins and
excess water from the potatoes, people trampled them with their feet.
THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN BOLIVIA
In 1920, Thomas and Fannie Anderson became
the first Assemblies of God missionaries appointed to Bolivia. Since then the church has grown
to include nearly 2,000 churches and more than
176,000 believers. Seventeen Bible schools and
extension programs are training more than 1,300
people for ministry.
QUECHUA WORDS
Quechua (pronounced KEH-shwah) was the official language of the Inca Empire and is one of
the three official languages of Bolivia. Variations of
some Quechua words have made it into our vocabulary. Among them are condor, gaucho, jerky,
llama, and puma. Here are some other Quechua
words and phrases:
Yes
No
What is your name?
Good-bye
Hello
How are you?
Please
Thank you
You are welcome.
Ari
Mana
Imataq sutiyki?
Rikunakusun
Rimaykullayki
Ima hinalla?
Allichu
Anay
Ni imamanta