BolivianExpress Free Distribution Magazine

Roots # 30 Directors: Amaru Villanueva Rance, Jack Kinsella, Xenia Elsaesser, Ivan Rodriguez Petkovic, Sharoll Fernandez. Editorial Team: Amaru Villanueva Rance, Matthew Grace,Juan Victor Fajardo. Web and Legal: Jack Kinsella. Printing and Advertising Manager: Ivan Rodriguez Petkovic. Social and Cultural Coordinator: Sharoll Fernandez. General Coordinator: Wilmer Machaca. Research Assistant: Wilmer Machaca. Domestic Coordinator: Virginia Tito Gutierrez. Design: Michael Dunn Caceres. Journalists: Ryle Lagonsin, Alexandra Meleán, Wilmer Machaca, Maricielo Solis, Danielle Carson, Caterina Stahl Our Cover: The BX Crew Marketing: Xenia Elsaesser The Bolivian Express Would Like To Thank: Simon Yampara, Pedro Portugal, Mirna Fernández, Paola Majía, Alejandra Soliz, Eli Blass, Hermana Jhaana, Joaquín Leoni Advertise With Us: [email protected]. Address: Calle Prolongación Armaza # 2957, Sopocachi, .. Phone: 78862061- 70503533 - 70672031 Contact: [email protected] Rooted in La Paz – , July 2013 :BolivianExpress @Bolivianexpress www.bolivianexpress.org History

a tierra es de quien la trabaja’—’Th e land belongs to those who work it’, proclaimed the Zapatistas at the turn of the 20th Century, as Emiliano Zapata spearheaded the historical movement which we now remember as the Mexican Revolution. ‘L 40 years later, this same slogan propelled Bolivian campesinos to demand broad socioeconomic changes in a country which hadn’t yet granted them basic citizenship rights, let alone recognised they made up over 70% of the country’s population. A broad-sweeping Agrarian Reform followed in 1953, giving these peasants unprecedented ownership and control over the land they worked on. Th e Bolivian Revolution of 1952 also enfranchised women and those considered illiterate (a convenient proxy for campes- inos), causing a fi vefold increase in the number of people eligible to vote.

Th ese moves planted the seed for much deeper changes to come about; while campesinos and indigenous peoples were considered equals under the law after the Revolution, social attitudes took decades to adjust, if they can be said to have adjusted at all. Th e election of Evo Morales as Bolivia’s fi rst indigenous president has brought with it processes of political revindication and a resurgence of identi- ties lost in time, though race remains painfully equivalent to social class to this day.

Yet the relationship between and the land, its soil, and what lies underneath it, dates back to centuries before the Revolution of 1952. Th e peoples who have inhabited the Bolivian territories over the decades and centuries have had much more than a socioeco- Lost and Found 8 nomic relation to the land. Th e ancestral signifi cance of what lies beneath the surface is cosmic and spiritual.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 5 EDITORIAL The Tenth Commandment 14

Tradition Uprooted 18

From The Great Wall to The Andes 22

Resemblance 24

The Roots of The Andes 26

Uyuni Willakuti 28 Th e is the name given to that which underlies and sustains all known existence (from ‘pacha’, which means ‘world’ or ‘universe’, and ‘mama’ which means ‘mother’). Unlike Christian religions which look upwards, and beyond what is visible to the human eye, to understand their world and position within it, the inhabitants of the Andean plains have traditionally looked beneath them to the land that feeds them and on which they stand. Th ey also look around them at the mountains—Tunupa, Illampu, Mururata, etc, all of which are gods—from where water fl ows down streams to irrigate the fi elds, and at the sun, Inti, which shines upon them and gives life to everything known upon this earth. Th eir existence and spirituality are thus deeply rooted in tangible manifestations of the physical world. It is for this reason that some see this set of beliefs as a cosmovision (worldview) instead of a metaphysical conception of the world (which has an undeniable immaterialist air to it). EDITORIAL

Perhaps no crop captures the spirit of the region better than the , around whose harvest cycle communities in the Altiplano organise many festivities. In his research ethnomusicologist Henry Stobart documents the anthropomorphisation of these tubers. Th ey are attributed eyes and even ears, which they need to listen to the huayño music that is played for them to encourage their adequate development. Potatoes are considered to follow the human lifecycle, and thus must be tendered as wawas (babies), in order to allow for a good harvest. Wilmer Machaca (see p.26) delves into the world of la papa to understand its local and international signifi cance.

Yet there’s a certain poetic over-simplicity to these pictures and it’s easy to get carried away. We’re invited to picture an austere camp- esino dutifully working on just enough land to sustain themselves and their family, or to barter their produce with neighbouring com- munities to achieve self sustenance. Th at image of the benevolent shepherd upon a cliff playing a fl ute in solitude against the elements.

Traditional methods used by farmers in these regions are experiencing a resurgence in the global economy. While in decades past the largest and most unblemished fruit were seen as the most desirable, during the mid-90s they started to cause suspicion, amid scares of the unknown harm that could come from genetically modifi ed crops grown with the help of powerful pesticides. Th e organic standard thus became the norm among conscious customers, primarily in the rich countries. Th is brought markets back in time (or across the globe) to growers and producers who, due to ideology or lack of technology, didn’t take part in the evils associated with new produc- tion methods. Danielle Carson (see P.18) conducts her research around producers and consumers to understand the impact of these

CONTINUES ON PAGE 6 global trends in the country. It seems the country’s growers have little notion of what organic is, making the country’s produce either accidentally organic, or far from this standard (read: full of pesticides), despite the archaic production methods.

Th e government and those who work with it to construct a new state vision, have capitalised on these vague ancestral notions to pro- pose we should live according to a principle they call Suma Qamaña, which posits a philosophy based on ‘Living Well’ in contrast to ‘Living Better’ (which is taken to the capitalist ideal). As Ryle Lagonsin (see P.14) investigates, there are questions around whether these EDITORIAL

ideas are genuine interpretations of the millenarian cultures which inhabited the region before colonisation, or whether they come with a dose of invention, or are even ‘imagined’, to use political scientist Benedict Anderson’s terminology. Th e genesis of these ideas is cer- tainly debatable, though the principles they capture certainly provide an interesting spiritual alternative which can prompt Bolivia and its citizens (or if the government has its way, even people from other countries) to rethink their values and priorities. In the meantime, it remains to be being seen whether this paradigm can be translated into implementable economic policies. Not to mention the fact that, even if correct, this ancestral knowledge only captures the spirit and ideology of a portion of one or two nations in the country, out of the 36 which the government offi cially recognises in the constitution. Alexandra Meleán (see P.28) visits Uyuni during the winter solstice to examine the celebration of state-sponsored calendrical events, questioning to what extent they can be seen to represent the multiplicity of nations across the country. Perhaps the Andean-Amazonian construct is just that, a construct.

It’s not hard to romanticise this ancestral cosmovision while overlooking the real practices of the people who live on the earth and feed on these roots. Contemporary Aymaras are undoubtedly rooted in their customs, though their postmodern-day (read: present day) exemplars are better known for their business acumen, and can even be said to have colonised other regions in the country through capitalist means, spending their newly-acquired wealth in a frenzy of hyper-consumerism (fi nd any preste for an example of this). Th e picture that emerges is not a colourfully romantic Mamani Mamani painting, but that of an uprooted country where syncretism, along with all of its contradictions, is the norm. It is the picture of a country looking for roots among all the diversity of its present, rather than one of a country able to fi nd them within its past.

Yet in choosing roots as the central theme for this issue we haven’t only wanted to explore the earth and its signifi cance in the literal sense. Maricielo Soliz (see P.22) meets the Chinese owner of a restaurant to understand what it means to set down roots in La Paz coming from over 10,000 miles away from home. And Caterina Stahl allows us the privilege of accompanying her on her journey back to her origins as she returns to her birthplace of Oruro where she was abandoned and adopted 21 years ago.

Several Spanish and Aymara words are marked in bold throughout this issue N.B. Their meanings can be found in our glossary By Amaru Villanueva Rance

6 roots ife is marked by milestones: lear- and moving buses in La Paz. decorate the fountain at the center. Kids ning how to tie your shoes, getting climb the statues, couples lounge on the a driver’s license, getting accepted No surprise, then, that instead of staying benches, and people fl ow like traffi c in all L into college. All these moments, in my comfort zone, I moved to La Paz diff erent directions, entering and exiting big and small, make up a timeline of who during my last free summer before gra- the plaza. you are. My own personal milestones duating college, before entering the adult include one I can’t always share. It’s of world. I always knew I had to come back Th e bank where I was left—now a Ban- being left behind. Being left to the unk- to Bolivia. It’s where I began, where my co Bisa—looks simple. It’s a brown and nown. Being transferred into the arms of roots are. white building with little traffi c on the strangers who would eventually become outside. Th e emotion I feel isn’t so much my everything—my family. Th e bus drops me off on a street corner in Oru- When I was growing up, the story of my ro. Panic takes over my WHEN YOU DREAM ABOUT early life sounded like a fairytale when body. I’m so alone, and my parents told me about it. In July 1992, I’m so American. I fi na- SOMETHING FOR SO LONG, IT I was left on the steps of a bank in Oru- lly managed to fi nd my BECOMES A FUZZY PICTURE ro, Bolivia, when I was only months old. hotel room. Sitting on IN YOUR MIND TO FILE AWAY Th e police were called around 9:30 am, my bed underneath the WITH PAST FANTASIES. and I was quickly transferred to a local Jesus fi gurine nailed to orphanage. Th e authorities placed an ad the wall, I can’t shake the in the newspaper La Patria with my pic- outskirts of Oruro from ture, hoping that my parents would come my mind. Th e poverty in LOST AND forward and take me back. Th ey never the surrounding towns is appalling. Th e from seeing the bank, but knowing that did. I lived in the orphanage until I was broken and crumbling buildings look so twenty-one years ago my mother or FOUND about 6 months old. poor, sad, dusty, and deserted. Th e city my father walked these streets with me. center, though, is much more built up Maybe they sat on the bench I’m sitting ORURO: THE JOURNEY HOME than I’d imagined—there’s even a large on now, waiting for my new fate to un- I used to picture myself as an infant, digital billboard in one of its streets! fold. Maybe they walked away quickly swaddled in a blanket in a small basket with eyes like two shining stones at the hidden amidst the chaos of Oruro streets. I feel like I’m looking into a goldfi sh bottom of a deep well, crying for the baby I am afraid at the noise that surrounds tank. I thought that I would be inside that would never again be theirs. me. I do not like the unfamiliar surroun- the tank here, with everyone else. In La dings, and I struggle for comfort, wailing Paz, I didn’t mind being a typical tourist, I sit in the plaza trying to let go of an for the loving hands—or maybe not lo- peering inside the tank. But in Oruro, I anger I’d been in denial about throughout ving, but familiar hands—that have just expected to be inside the tank. I fi nd my- my whole life. I never wanted to be mad. left me. But the world keeps going, and self looking at everyone from the outsi- I’ve had a better life than my birth pa- I, from this moment on, am lost forever, de, the same way I feel in the United rents could ever have imagined. It’s hard unidentifi ed, and in the worst way, aban- States sometimes. I am an American—I to know sometimes which is better: to be doned. have American dreams, an American in poverty but still a direct growth from accent, an American passport —but my original roots, or to have that second Fast-forward to the present. I fi nd my- when I catch a glimpse of my face in chance, like pollen blown away by the self yet again consumed by confusion and the mirror I look alien, diff erent from wind to germinate and grow, lay down chaos, but this time I’m at the La Paz bus my family and friends. And here, too, in roots elsewhere so very far away. terminal, and I am no longer an infant, Bolivia, I might look similar to everyone but a 21-year-old woman. else, but when I open my mouth it’s clear I could have been the little girl I see run- “¡POTOSI! ¡ORURO! ¡SUCRE!” I don’t belong. I feel like I’m caught in a ning through a fi eld of trash, collecting Oh my, which way do I go? I couldn’t re- limbo of sorts—love from my family and anything reusable. I could have been that member what bus was the best to take. I friends surrounds me back at home, but cholita begging for money on the street, run into a woman who immediately be- a desire to know more crushes me. Here whom passersby ignore. A kid with a wad gins writing me a ticket. Zip, zap, zam, I I am now, though, looking for answers, of pink balloons runs across the road. run through a hidden door and trip over looking for the truth to set me free. Life goes on. a few cholitas, then board a bus that’s al- ready moving. RETURNING TO MY ROOTS THE DISCOVERY Caterina Stahl was abandoned twenty-one years ago in I fi nally fi nd the courage to leave my ho- It’s the morning of June 30, and I’ve I relax. I’m in my element. I’d grown up in Oruro, Bolivia, as an infant. Adopted by parents from the tel, and I walk on autopilot to the place found nothing but dead ends. I get hit on constant movement. I traveled down the where I was abandoned: La Plaza 10 de instead of helped out, I can’t fi nd any of United States, she has lived there her entire life. She Death Road to Coroico with my adopti- Febrero. the offi ces that might have information. I returns to revisit places only known to her through ve mom when I was months old. I used am losing faith. I feel like a pinball, boun- anecdotes and photographs, and in the process re-lives a to climb out of my crib when I was 2 I’d always pictured this place as cold, all cing from location to location through years old. I’d climb anything to move ever stone and dull grey, but it’s the opposite. the town in a pointless search for clues to past made present through fragments. higher and faster. I’ve chased everything Gardens are scattered around the plaza, CONTINUES ON PAGE 10 from my dreams—boys, hockey pucks, and gold statues of animals and cherubs

8 roots BolivianExpress 9 my past. People start to recognize me as I What catches my eye is the name ‘Gota wwAt fi rst I’m too overwhelmed to tell pass by them again and again throughout de Leche’—’Drop of Milk’—a specifi c her anything. Finally, I produce my adop- the day. I’m hungry and discouraged; the orphanage for children ages 6 and youn- tion paperwork and lay it on the table and clues to my past that I picked up in La ger. My parents had told me I was left in begin to tell her my story. Before I know Paz have led nowhere. Th e signs are te- an orphanage fi tting that description. I it, I have an address for Gota de Leche,

lling me to give up. fi nd a second article from last year about and a possible lead on Marcela, the ma- plans to renovate Gota de Leche. Th ere tron of the orphanage who cared for me. After a moment of weakness and self-pi- is hope! Alejandra tells me that it is common in ty I realize there’s no other option but to Oruro for babies to be abandoned in continue looking. I remember someone I run to the fancy hotel in town, ho- trashcans and on the streets. ‘For religious told me that orphanages in Oruro are not ping someone might speak English. reasons mostly’, she says. ‘Th e mother al- referred to as orphanages but ‘hogares de ‘Does anyone, anyone around here speak most always disappears immediately af- ter. Even the police can’t fi nd them.’ Fate can sometimes be THE FENCED-IN AREA OUTSIDE THE HOGARES DE kind, and Alejandra is proof NIÑOS IS DUSTY AND GREY; LAUNDRY HANGING FROM of that. Before I know it, she puts me in a cab to the Gota CLOTHES LINES AND COLORFUL PLAYGROUND de Leche orphanage. ‘Make EQUIPMENT OUTSIDE MAKE IT LOOK LESS sure you come back after and OPPRESSIVE, ALMOST FRIENDLY tell me how it goes’, she says as the cab door shuts.

FINALLY FREE When you dream about so- niños.’ With the help of Google I fi nd English?’ I beg the hotel staff . Th ey end mething for so long, it becomes a fuzzy a newspaper article that will change my up sending me to the offi ce of tourism. picture in your mind to fi le away with life. No one there speaks English either. I’m past fantasies. My dad had told me he sent out of the building to another offi ce. remembered crossing a set of train tracks It’s an article about the seven orphana- Th at’s where I fi nd my angel, Alejandra CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 ges in Oruro, written three years ago. Soliz.

10 roots on the way to the orphanage located on time there. Th ere are two rooms for abandoned like I was, or left in hospitals the outskirts of town, the same tracks the infants to sleep, and one big room after their births. Some have been taken that my cab is now crossing, and my with rows and rows of beds for the ol- away from mentally ill or alcoholic pa- dream begins to wash over me again. der children. Th e fl oors are very shiny rents. Th ere are also horror stories of ba- and the hallways tall, illuminated by big bies left in trash cans and much worse. Th e orphanage looks just as my parents windows. Th e fenced-in area outside If the kids are not claimed by age 6, they had described—a barbed-wire fence su- the hogares de niños is dusty and grey; are transferred into a foster system until rrounds it and an they are 18. old playground in I’ve been gi- the courtyard. Ma- I’M HUNGRY AND DISCOURAGED; THE CLUES TO ven so many tron Marcela is no MY PAST THAT I PICKED UP IN LA PAZ HAVE LED opportunities longer there, but NOWHERE. THE SIGNS ARE TELLING by living in hermana Jhaana is the United supposed to help ME TO GIVE UP. States, so it me. ‘Estoy buscan- makes me do a la hermana happy to hear Jhaana’, I say. that the kids laundry hanging from clothes lines and who don’t get adopted can fi nd success I fi nd her sitting in an offi ce piled high colorful playground equipment outsi- in life (teachers, doctors, architects) with papers. I know, somehow, that I’m de make it look less oppressive, almost when they leave the system as young in the right place. I take out my docu- friendly. adults. ments again and begin to sob. Hermana Jhaana knows what is happening. She All the babies are resting in a little room THE ‘WHY?’ knows I’ve wanted this moment for so sprinkled with toys and sunlight. Julia Being a journalist, I’m always looking for other peoples ‘why?’—why they are they way they are, why they’ve followed one or another particular route in their lives. Why they live the way they do. It’s always fascinated me; I’ve always had to know more, always had to know how the book ends before even reading it.

Th rough unexpected dedication and kindness of current and past emplo- yees of the Gota de Leche orphanage I fi nally found my ‘why?’ I’ve learned that Marcela now lives in La Paz, she remembers me, and I will be reunited with her soon. I’m also told by Doña Ely Blass, who worked at Gota de Le- che thirty years ago, that all the babies in 1992 were adopted. Th ey went to France, Argentina, and the United Sta- tes, and, like me, many have come back to Oruro, searching for their beginnings, their ‘why?’ I fi nd it comforting that I’m not alone in the way my life began. I am happy. I am fi nally free.

I close my story with these words direc- ted to my birth parents. long I’ve begun to believe it would never tells me everyone has a connection with happen. She holds me and laughs with certain children there, just like Marcela me at the impossibility of it all. had with me. Each baby looks healthy For whatever reason you had to say goo- and strong. It’s like looking into a past dbye, I know that you left me with a gift. Fate is again in my favor when I discover I can’t remember, but that’s somehow Your fi nal gift, other than life, was to give an American volunteer, Julia, who helps right in front of me, like I’m looking me a world full of opportunities that would me bridge the language gap. ‘I can’t be- back two decades at myself. have been but a distant thought, setting on lieve you found this place’, she says to the horizon of my life, forever darkened by me. ‘No one ever fi nds this place—it’s My story, I fi nd, is all too common in night. And now, because of you, the light of almost impossible.’ Oruro. It’s humbling to learn the sto- the sun keeps my dreams alive, and as long Julia shows me where I lived during my ries behind each child. Some have been as I’m living, you are living with me too.

12 roots arguably more interesting. Mother Earth, is the ‘Path to Life,’ ac- rent from prevailing economic systems. At cording to Evo Morales. Th is is El Vivir least, not as it would seem from what the ‘I was not convinced by the Marxist Bien. Th is is Suma Qamaña. government is actually doing. Judging by Th eory of class struggle,’ he said. ‘So, I the fact that a large portion of Bolivia’s na- went back because I wanted to fi nd out Admirable as it may sound, however, tional income still comes from the extrac- what these concepts and what the eco- there have been several reservations re- tion and exportation of non-renewable nomy meant in an Andean setting. But garding Suma Qamaña’s viability as an resources, the internal contradictions are then, I found out there is no Aymara word alternative to capitalism and/or ‘tradi- not at all hard to make out. for “economy.” Th e closest idea they had tional’ socialism, within the country and was actually more all-encompassing, and outside. Th ough certainly ideal as a theo- ‘Suma Qamaña is what the government that was Suma Qamaña.’ TEXTUNDERSTANDING : RYLE LAGONSIN SUMA QAMAÑA FROM THE OUTSIDE PHOTO: ANDY BAKER I will admit I do not know much, if an- REAL ANDEAN COSMOVISION IS MORE ything at all, about Bolivian politics and LINKED TO PROGRESS AND THAT IS WHAT economics. I may have shallow knowled- ge about some issues, though I know two THE INDIGENOUS, LIKE MOST OTHER months in this country is not enough to PEOPLE, WANT FOR THEMSELVES,’ HE SAYS. learn about them in detail. However, ha- ving come across one of the more inter- esting and, perhaps, controversial topics to spring from none other than this country - the issue of ‘Vivir Bien’ - I decided to retic construction, it seems far too vague uses in discourse, but in reality, the Boli- take advantage of my stay here to at least for realistic application, and its origin vian economy works under the classic sys- acquaint myself with this intriguing ‘new’ and translation leave much to be answe- tem of capitalism. Th e government sells idea. red as well. raw materials — for example, gas to Ar- gentina and Brazil. It sells to anyone who El Proceso de Cambio is the name given ‘Indigenous Bolivians are principally wants to buy. It takes place under real eco- to the broad-reaching social and politi- pro-development,’ says Pedro Portugal, nomic mechanisms. Th e problem of the cal changes the government credits itself director of the Bolivian newsletter Puka- government is that it has to get out of its for putting into motion during the presi- ra. ‘Th ey want to produce, they want to own contradiction with reality. Anything dence of Evo Morales. According to the work. But the government romanticised the government does is bound within the administration, necessary changes must the image of the indigenous peoples and limits of the classical world. It has to stop be made for Bolivia to attain true nation- made it inconsistent with reality. Th e distorting practice and discourse,’ declares hood; and these, so far, have included the people described in this Suma Qamaña Portugal. nationalisation of energy resources, dis- could never be found anywhere because missal of foreign fi rms, the banishment of there is no such place. Suma Qamaña ‘Suma Qamaña is a paradigm of life,’ ac- the United States ambassador, and most cannot even be found in indigenous po- cording to Simón Yampara. ‘But there are recently, the expulsion of USAID, the US litical history. It just suddenly emerged.’ diff erent kinds of good living for every aid agency. type of person. Every horizon needs to be According to him, the Suma Qamaña respected.’ But what has arguably been the most presented by the government — the striking governmental action attributed communitarian utopia occupied by Emphasising that the application of this to this process, was Morales’s denounce- ‘good indigenous people’ who consecrate idea as an economic concept would be ment of neoliberal economic models and nature and whose dedication is mainly equivalent to reducing its essence, he adds his proposal of an alternative paradigm. In on the preservation of their ancient way that the scope of Suma Qamaña goes be- declaring capitalism as the ‘Path towards of living — is a myth. Real Andean Cos- yond just this world. As far as it is con- Death,’ he presented a set of command- movision is more linked to progress and cerned with material well-being, it also ments that would supposedly serve as a that is what the indigenous, like most involves an important spiritual dimension. means to save not just Bolivia, but huma- other people, want for themselves, he says. It never covers only one aspect. ‘We, the indigenous peoples, only want to Live tion, fi lled with music, dance, and drin- only meant good life, but the accomplish- nity and the planet. Th e tenth, and last, of Well, not better. Living Better is to exploit, king, is a way of revering and thanking ment of holistic well-being. these being a ‘revolutionary’ concept that ‘Th e indígenas are communitarian due So does this ultimately mean the gover- plunder, and to rob, but Living Well is to live the gods, and of publicly recognising the allegedly takes its roots from the ancient to survival, not for its intrinsic virtue. nment is not actually adhering to the pa- in brotherhood.’ bond. After a moment of refl ection and Sitting across the table and shifting his Andean Cosmovision. Th e same people who are communita- radigm it is supposedly reviving? Perhaps. marital advice, the community wishes the gaze from his hands onto me, the Ayma- rian in the campo, when they go to the Th e main problem is that the idea by itself - Evo Morales pair well-being — that they do not only ran sociologist, who is credited as the pri- Th is paradigm, supposedly based on city and encounter economic and social remains too abstract and its lack of speci- live well within their own world, but that mary proponent of this concept, talks with respect, reciprocity, and harmony with changes, inevitably become individua- fi city makes it inevitable for action to con- they live well within all other worlds. ease as I struggle to get all of his words beings in coexisting worlds, is the Mo- listas,’ he continues. tradict words. It is an arguably valiant cau- n the cold Andean regions of Bo- onto my notebook. As he delves into his- rales Administration’s proposed replace- se to strive for this ideal, but as we might livia—the Tierras del Altiplano— Th is was how I understood Simón tory, he introduces me to a breadth of Ay- ment to the selfi sh and destructive Wes- Th e government’s basis for this develop- have known by now, what is good diff ers I when a man and a woman form a Yampara’s fi rst explanation on the origin mara terminology which, for the sake of tern models of development. Achieving mental paradigm may not just be weak, for every person. Who is to say, then, what union, it is customary to hold a great feast of the Suma Qamaña concept. It was an not interrupting him, I decide not to ask growth through the revival of the indi- but made up altogether. In fact, the vision is involved in Living Well and what Li- to formalise the matrimonio. Th e celebra- ideal, he told me, a desired state that not him to repeat. His second explanation was genous relationship with Pachamama, or it advances may not even be all that diff e- ving Better consists in?

14 roots BolivianExpress 15 The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy PHOTO: michael dunn caceres our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? [...] We are part of the earth and it is part of us. [...] This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Excerpts from Chief Seathl’s speech addressed to US President Franklin Pierce in 1854 TEXT AND PHOTOS: DANIELLE CARSON

pon exploring La Paz, it becomes produced and perceived to be the Dorothy likewise extracted from the other organism production. In 2005, Resolution Nº 135/05 ción Solón, in 2010 Bolivian land contai- CROPS AS LEECHES apparent that defi nitions of cons- to meat’s Wicked Witch From the West. in the form of the desired protein to im- freed maize from any possibility of transge- ned 0.9 million hectares of transgenic soy, Truth is, genetically modifi ed crops have cious eating and humane produc- plant into the tomato. Th e tomato gene is nic contamination. In 2009, Supreme De- ranking it as the 11th country in terms of not been proven to do signifi cant harm to U tion here are as diverse as Bolivia Soy, however, is not all it’s cracked up to modifi ed and fragmented, and a piece is cree 181 (art. 80) prohibited the State from transgenic crop production, and placing it humans (though they do in mice, which itself. In a country where the fruits and be. Bolivia has made me scrutinise soy as a then replaced with one from the new or- purchasing GM foods, and bans their use in the category of ‘mega-producer’, despite seem to develop tumors from anything vegetables colour the streets, and cows that transgenic product that causes damage to ganism. In laymen’s terms, genetic modi- as part of school meals. Similarly, the Law its status as a developing country, if administered in excess). Th e most pro- graze in the nearby mountains are being the Pachamama (Mother Earth), whose fi cation creates organisms that cannot be of Mother Earth establishes ‘the right to minent worry is that the implanted gene stuff ed into Tucumanas days later, it would rights Bolivians are now constitutionally obtained in nature. It creates plants that are preservation of the diff erentiation and va- Sources close to the Vice-Minister of may be a hidden allergen to the consumer. be expected that agricultural and consump- compelled to respect. super resistant to weather, larger and more riety of beings that make up Mother Earth’, Rural Development deny the above data, Conversely, transgenic plants have been tion perspectives around conscious food di- numerous. Th ey’re super plants. banning their genetic modifi cation and any although admitting to the possibility of known to boost nutritional value in some ff er greatly from the highly transgenic, yet PACHAMAMA TRANSGÉNICA artifi cial modifi cation of their structure. In insignifi cant amounts existing in Bolivian foodstuff s. veg-enthusiast United States. A transgenic is a genetically modifi ed or- Article 255 of the Bolivian Constitution its 24th article, this law further establishes markets. ganism, a living thing, such as a plant, to prohibits the production, importation and the implementation of necessary measures According to researcher Manuel Morales As a vegetarian, I have always sought out which a new gene has been introduced, commercialisation of GM foods. A set of for the gradual elimination of GM pro- In the fi rst week of June, the Bolivian Álvarez, the issue is not that transgenic soy products, whose meatless goodness resulting in a change of its genetic makeup. laws reiterates this principle. Th e law speci- ducts from the country and its markets. government announced the importa- food is unlabeled, but rather that the most made being vegetarian both easier and Th is gene could be that of another plant or fi cally prohibits the introduction of packa- tion of fl our from the US, prompting signifi cant harm this food does occurs be- more enjoyable. Being told that vegeta- even another animal. Don’t be irked; your ges that involve genetically modifi ed seeds All of the above would make us reasonably broad speculation of this fl our being ge- fore it hits the shelves. Homogenising the rianism is close to nonexistent in Bolivia, vegetables don’t have eyes. for a product that grows native to Bolivia. believe that Bolivia is safely protected from netically modifi ed. Yet the government land that is naturally diverse harms the bio- I was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of If non-native crops are introduced to Boli- any GM presence on its soil or in its do- sustains that it comes from corporations diversity that helps plants grow naturally in soy products and meatless options at food For example, DNA is extracted from an via, such as soy, rice, tomatoes, cotton, corn, mestic market. Yet according to TUNUPA, that work with such crops. Th e mystery the fi rst place, leaving the once fertile Pa- shops. In the United States, soy is widely organism, such as a tomato. A gene is there will be standards established for their an informational magazine from Funda- still remains. chamama depleted and useless.

18 roots BolivianExpress 19 Th e law seems to specifi cally protect Pa- TRANSGENIC MEANS in transition. According to Mejía, organic simply leaves the farming region at the chamama who, like a woman, cannot feed OUTSOURCING producers receive 25% more profi t for their foothills of the Illimani to be sold at the her children beyond what comes from her According to Miguel Crespo of Probio- crops, as well as priceless health benefi ts market, she explains as she motions over body. While those crops that are native to ma, transgenics are deeply enmeshed in as they avoid pesticides. Mejía said she her shoulder to the sun-drenched hills. Bolivia, such as , chia, sesame and an international trade dynamic, resulting predicts that in the future there will be an Th e main purpose of the market is to ca- amaranth, are easily organically produced, in extranjero control over some Bolivian international standard for organic quinoa, ter to the surrounding community within crops such as soy that have been forcefully resources. He estimates that 80% of the stretching beyond and Bolivia. a 15-mile radius. introduced have caused signifi cant damage resources used in soy production are im- to the land. Th e cultivation of soy absorbs ported from various countries and that ‘Here in Bolivia there is a tradition to work But don’t be fooled by the romanticised the fertility of the earth, and combined with 66% of the production of soy in the hands in harmony with the soil, and the best way image of unwrapped, unmarked piles of the pesticides and fertilisers, makes the soil of foreigners. Enrique Castañon at Funda- to do that is through organic production,’ fruit and women draped in shawls ca- near useless. In Bolivia, 100,000 acres of ción Tierra similarly believes that Bolivia is Mejía affi rms. ‘Th is is something that co- rrying sacks of produce on their backs. land have been degraded due to soy. ‘losing its food sovereignty’. mes from hundreds of years ago, its not new Vendor Alicia Arteaga sat in front of her for us.’ piles of fruit, weighing each piece with Álvarez says that compared to other coun- Traditional farming techniques that defi ne her eyes and pricing them for interested tries, Bolivian food products are not hugely the country are being compromised due While working harmoniously with the soil shoppers. I asked her if the fruit was or- genetically modifi ed. Brazil and the United to external pressures. While farmers use is part of tradition, Mejía realises that main- ganic. States shadow Bolivia taining tradition will as far as GM landmass not on its own bring ‘Claro,’ she said confi dently. is concerned, with 30 HERE IN BOLIVIA THERE IS A TRADITION TO food to the world’s and 70 percent more tables. She lamented When I asked her if chemicals and pes- hectares of transge- WORK IN HARMONY WITH THE SOIL, AND that there is no way ticides were used in their production, to eat whole grains and organic produce. much over the past 7 years. ‘Not only is nic crops, respectively, THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS THROUGH for traditional techni- my surprise, she also replied affi rmati- During our conversation she sells mul- it about eating vegetarian but also about while Argentina fo- ORGANIC PRODUCTION,’ MEJÍA AFFIRMS. ques to provide for the vely. When I fi nally asked her to defi ne tiple bags of whole-wheat buns. asking where the food comes from,’ she llows closely behind. ‘THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COMES FROM international market, organic, she subtly started a conversation said. ‘We are few, but we are growing.’ Over the past 30 years, which has been rave- elsewhere, avoiding any further questions. ‘It’s healthier to consume organic, it around 80% of the HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, nously demanding or- prevents sickness,’ Pacheco said. Whi- El Laboratorio para la Comida Cons- South American con- IT’S NOT NEW FOR US ganic quinoa. For this CONSUMPTION-CONSCIOUS le she isn’t vegetarian, she mainly eats ciente started about a year ago. Since, tinent has become in- reason, new organic COMMUNITIES vegetables—and always whole wheat. they have off ered vegetarian meals, volved in the produc- production techniques Although it becomes apparent that many ‘Not many people realise that transge- taught healthy cooking, and held discus- tion of soy, prompting Miguel Crespo from their manual tools as quickly as they can are being sought. locals have no concept of organic, the city nic food harms health’, she adds. sions on controversial topics involving Probioma to consider this the creation of a to produce a high quality, organic product, has bloomed with organisations, stores conscious consumption. Th eir aim is to ‘Republica Soyera’, a trans-border territory neighbouring countries are reaping and ‘We are very committed to this orga- and restaurants which share the goal of On the same street, business owner change perspectives. he calls a ‘Soy Republic’. packaging products that multiply as rapi- nic standard, yet the only way to increase maintaining conscious forms of con- Dominga Mamani has sold natural dly as bacteria. supply is by increasing yield of this system sumption, be it through abstaining from products sourced from the Andes since For these people, the push to eat cons- In some ways, transgenic crops have helped of production.’ meat, transgenic products, or both. For 2011. Surrounded by boxes of comple- ciously accompanies opposing foods farmers. According to Álvarez, the climate KEEPING THE ROOTS ALIVE many of these conscious communities, tely natural quinoa and grains, she said that produce excessive greenhouse ga- in Bolivia is so variable, and the soil often so Paola Mejia is the manager of CABOL- External pressures from GMO monsters the objective is not simply for people to be that the products go directly from the ses, climate injustice, and compromise unyielding, that a little modifi cation in the QUI, which has been working since 2005 such as Monsanto have set the bar high, conscious of their own health, but more earth to the shelves. human rights. plants’ genetic properties helps farmers by to increase organic production of major forcing countries to give into transgenic broadly of the health of the environment. increasing the volume and quality of pro- products native to Bolivia. She said that crops. According to information from TU- However not all conscious eating Th rough specifi c initiatives, they seek to duce. However, farmers are inconvenienced while Quinoa, their major focus, is grown NUPA, an informative publication from Namas Té, a vegan restaurant, boasts ‘the eff orts are grass-roots local initiatives. change attitudes towards eating in a so- by their newfound dependence on transge- more or less easily using traditional techni- Fundación Solón, some have no choice only vegetarian salteña in La Paz’, while Herbalife is a California-based com- ciety known for its traditional approach nic seeds, as the price has risen drastically. ques, many products, such as soy, are more but to buy transgenic seeds, or worse, they Tierra Sana, popular amongst foreigners pany which sells natural products and to food. ‘Avoiding meat once a day is a In 2007, the cost of cultivating one hectare diffi cult to grow without the help of che- have no idea that their plants are modi- and locals alike, off ers a savory vegeta- food supplements to customers in 88 start. On this day, we invite everyone we of GM soy was $300, compared to $450 in micals and genetic modifi cation. fi ed. What can be done with artisanal rian lunch for two. While the menu at countries, reporting net sales of over can. No meat, no soya. Sharing the food 2012, a 50% increase. tools is no longer suffi cient, and Mother local vegetarian restaurants are com- $4bn in 2012. Giselle Zuleta, a local is the soul of it all.’ ‘Organic production is very diffi cult, for us Nature is not producing quickly enough pletely meat-free, organic is not always saleswoman for the company, believes El Instituto Boliviano de Comercio Exte- its almost impossible to see how we can to supply a hungry world. For bolivians, guaranteed. that, ‘Everything that comes out of the Paola Mejía of CABOLQUI believes rior have voiced their concerns around this work with organic soy because all of the organic is tradition; their goal is ‘vivir ground should be natural.’ Paradoxica- that the ripening movement in Bolivia set of laws, claiming that transgenic crops variables against this organic standard.’ bien’. Sadly, while organic is always a part Centro Nutricional Ecológico opened lly, Giselle wasn’t sure if her product, mirrors trends from other places in the should be allowed due to the economic ne- Mejía said that CABOLQUI has wor- of indigenous, what is indigenous is not on Calle Zolio Flores about ten years imported from the US, was comple- world, where people are willing to pay cessity for exporters to remain competitive. ked closely with the government to pro- always organic. ago, and aims to sell whole wheat gra- tely organic. She was only able to add, higher prices for food that is produced duce organic quinoa, at least. While the in products, often infused with quinoa ‘I don’t agree with chemicals being ethically, with a devoid of genetic and According to Enrique Castañon of Fun- government supports all its statues in the FROM THE FIELDS TO THE and soy. Th e products are entirely orga- added’. chemical impurities. For her organi- dación Tierra, exporters of transgenic crops production, exportation and distribution MARKETS nic, and quite aff ordable as well. sation and its partners, roots are what have been disproportionately aff ected by of quinoa, Mejía could not comment on Of the many markets in La Paz, the mar- 2013 is the International Year of Orga- matters. Western demand and innova- this law. Th is is because transgenic seeds the government’s work with soy and other ket called 20 de Enero runs Lunes to Lu- ‘It’s very diffi cult to acquire organic nic Food, a year for the growing com- tions in methods of production are des- are increasingly expensive to purchase, and potentially transgenic crops. nes in Chasquipampa, Zona Sur. Th ese wheat,’ tells me Rosemary Tintaya Pa- munity of food-conscious people to troying cultural and biological diversity. continually more expensive to produce as Mejía estimates that around 80% of qui- piles of fruits and vegetables are undou- checo, who runs the store. ‘Th e price of celebrate the movement that, according Th at is what Bolivians, through seeking some of farmers’ profi ts must go towards noa production in Bolivia is currently or- btedly the herbivore’s dream. According organic wheat has increased’. Pacheco to Mirna Fernandez of the Laborato- diff erent approaches to food and cons- the source of these super seeds. ganic, with 12% GM and the remainder to Marcela Poma, much of the produce recognises that her clients prefer to rio de Comida Consciente, has grown cious consumption, are resisting.

20 roots BolivianExpress 21 has a responsible staff ,’ she says. ‘I could Lu Qing decided to come to Bolivia not have done it otherwise.’ with her family in 1997 to fi nd work. She was 34. Her husband and uncle Although Lu Qing’s Chinese roots are had bought some land in Bolivia, on an important aspect of her life because which they wanted to develop a gold they represent who she is, living in La mine. But right after they arrived, her Paz for so long has infl uenced her too. ‘I husband lost all the money he had in- love the food and music from Bolivia’, she vested in the mine. ‘It was very hard for says with excitement. ‘I learned to speak my family’, Lu Qing says. Spanish in Bolivia, and I have so many Bo- livian friends that I feel Bolivian.’ However, Lu Qing and her husband dusted themselves off and decided Lu Qing believes that her personal atten- to open a Chinese restaurant—or, as tion and interaction with her customers is they’re known in Bolivia and Peru, a fundamental to the prosperity of her busi- . “I needed to pay for the educa- ness. ‘I am a people’s person’, she reveals. tion of my child,” she says. ‘I needed to survive, so I worked hard to open a Because Lu Qing decided to adopt the Bo- chifa. livian culture as her own, instead of looking at it as foreign, it made her new life in Boli- Th e word chifa emer- via easier, and TEXSeT t:tMAinARICgC IELDELLOOJo wJ. SnOLI OIS riental Roots in the Andes ged in Peru during it allowed her PHOPH TOTO: MICHAELL DUNNNNC CACEACC RESREES the 1930s. Originally I LEARNED TO SPEAK to assimilate from the Cantonese into Bolivian language, it means SPANISH IN BOLIVIA, society rapi- ‘eat rice’. Th e popula- AND I HAVE SO MANY dly. ‘I like to rity of increa- BOLIVIAN FRIENDS learn about sed enormously du- the Bolivian ring the nineteenth THAT I FEEL BOLIVIAN.’ culture be- century, and later be- cause Bolivia came part of the gas- is my home’, tronomical tradition she says. ‘It is of Peru. As a result, the term became the place where I live now.’ popular in other parts of Latin Ame- rica. But the adoption of a new culture in Bolivia can also run the other way. Th e presence of Chifas in Bolivia serve a variety of dis- Chinese people in La Paz has also motiva- hes that contain noodles, rice, seafood ted some Bolivians to adopt certain cultu- and meat, just as any other Chinese res- ral aspects of the Chinese. ‘Many Bolivian taurant. However, Bolivian traditions people like Chinese culture’, Lu Qing says. are mixed in. For example, minced ro- ‘Many of my clients like to practice tai chi, coto pepper usually accompanies the because it is good for the health, and others soy sauce in Bolivian chifas, and typical love to drink Chinese tea.’ Bolivian drinks, such as mate de coca and chicha, are served. Th e Chinese language itself is also beco- ming increasingly popular. ‘Many students hat does it mean to be Bo- the country’s culture if they do not Chinese immigrants fi rst developed their and the number of Peruvians with Chi- After much work and eff ort, Lu Qing study Chinese in the schools and universi- livian? Does it require lis- see themselves as Bolivians in the fi rst own communities in Bolivia during the nese ancestry is around 5 million. and her family made it through some ties regularly now’, Li Qing says. tening to Morenadas, the place. late twentieth century. Job opportunities very diffi cult times, but eventually were W able run a successful chifa. Looking at the small world that Lu Qing Afro-Bolivian music from in mining and agriculture attracted them In Bolivia, the number of Chinese im- the Andes; eating salteñas; and drinking Th is is the case of Lu Qing, a 50-year- to Bolivia with the promise of a better migrants is dramatically less. During has built in La Paz for her and her family, it Paceña? Does one have to have Bolivian old Chinese immigrant who, even life. As a result, Chinese immigrants sett- the 1990s, there were just 500 Chine- ‘It was my Chinese roots that allowed can be seen that many Chinese immigrants blood in their veins, Bolivian roots in though she was born in China, consi- led in Bolivia and created a new home se immigrants living in Bolivia, and in my business to become successful’, Lu to Bolivia have created a new life far from their lineage? ders herself to be “muy paceña”—sim- for themselves far away from their native 2001 the number increased only by a Qing says. She points to the fact that home by adopting Bolivian culture. ply because she feels like one. country. hundred. she grew up in China, where she was Th ere is not an exact answer to that ques- taught from a young age to be discipli- However, in their quest, they had not for- tion since many Bolivians have diff erent Lu Qing’s story is full of adventure, But unlike other countries in Latin ‘It has been sixteen years since I arrived ned and punctual. She considers those gotten their own roots; instead, they seek to views of what a Bolivian is. However, with both failure and success. It’s re- America, Bolivia has received a relati- from China’, Lu Qing declared with a qualities to be extremely important for integrate them within the Bolivian culture most people would agree that what presentative, too, of stories of many vely small number of Chinese immi- nervous smile and a candid look in the everything she has achieved. in order break racial stereotypes and create truly makes a person Bolivian is the Chinese immigrants who end up in grants. Peru, for example, has the lar- comfort of her beautiful classic looking an alliance that can improve the relation- desire to feel like one. After all, peo- Bolivia and consider themselves to be gest population of Chinese migrants in Chinese restaurant located on Avenida ‘My chifa always does well because it is ship between the Chinese and the Boli- ple cannot embrace the traditions of Bolivians with Asian roots. Latin America, approximately 5,000, 20 de Octubre in Sopocachi, La Paz. punctual. It serves food of quality and it vian communities.

22 roots BolivianExpress 23 ILLUSTRATION: GIELIZZA MARIE CALZADO RESEMBLANCE

TRAVELLING 20,000 KM FROM THE PHILIPPINES, RYLE LAGONSIN ARRIVES IN BOLIVIA TO FIND CHILLING PARALLELS BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES’ REGIONALISM AND IDENTITY CRISES. CAN EITHER SET OF NATIONS DISENTANGLE THEIR CONVOLUTED HISTORIES AND PREJUDICES TO ACT AFFIRMATIVELY AS A COHESIVE WHOLE?

am Filipino. When I leave my be noticed by anyone who has ever been warn me other people, specifi cally cam- One just needs to watch a YouTube front of foreigners, but crumble to their Perhaps I have had the slightest privi- country for another one, my to, or at the very least read about, both bas, could take such a statement very video of some Fil-Am singer giving a own factions within their own borders. lege of personally seeing two sides of I passport will always say I am Fili- countries. Along with these, one could seriously. Why? Historical rifts, stereo- good audition on American Idol, spu- the world confronting the same social pino. But within the Philippines, I also say they share political and econo- types, government favoritism—the list rring thousands of comments that re- It would be pointless to blame the di- sickness. But as I said, its manifestation am Tagalog. I am not Bisaya nor Kapam- mic instability and, as probably known goes on. Th e bottom line is that many peat the words “Pinoy (Filipino) Pride!” versity of peoples in both Bolivia and in both places is uncanny. For this rea- pangan. Within my country, I am someo- by more people, a lingering third world Bolivians just don’t want to be associa- Or observe how an international Club the Philippines, but it cannot be denied son, it is not hard for me to imagine the ne else. I have a specifi c identity. status. ted with other Bolivian groups. Bolívar win rouses the entire country to either that with so many diff erent cus- questions in my mind running within proclaim ‘Viva Bolivia!’ toms, beliefs, and ways of thinking; disa- that of an ordinary Boliviano as well. But what does identity even mean? I can However, none of these pertain to the Th e revelations from that day felt both greements and prejudiced conditioning imagine Bolivianos, inside the country and kind of resemblance that has caught interestingly and disturbingly familiar. Yet, mistake a Quechua for an Aymara are bound to happen. I am sure it would take long before out, asking themselves this same question. my attention. What I really mean by Interesting, because of the stories my and watch them take it as an insult. And either of us fi nd a proper defi nition to the word is a face: the shared face of an guide told me, especially surrounding don’t even think about straying from the Should this issue of lineage be reduced our dubious ‘identities’. But for now, I For the last two months, Bolivia has be- identity crisis. the lingering bitterness between Sucre come my temporary home; La Paz, spe- and La Paz (over where the govern- cifi cally. And although at fi rst, it felt as Just recently, I went on a city tour of ment seat of power is located). Th at one BECAUSE INASMUCH AS LANDLOCKED BOLIVIA CONTRASTS THE if I had hurled myself from one extreme Bolivia’s famous White City, Sucre. sounded a lot like the history of Cebu ARCHIPELAGIC PHILIPPINES, I HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT THESE TWO to another, I have become quite used Wanting to impress my guide, I remem- and Manila, two important places in my to this new environment. So much so, ber saying something along the lines of country. Disturbing, because of her fi rm COUNTRIES SHARE A RESEMBLANCE DEEP BEYOND THEIR STARK that it no longer feels like a completely ‘Bolivians are all called Paceños, right?’. declaration that she was not Paceña, but PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES foreign world to me. Because inasmuch Ignorant assumption, apparently. Sucrense. Th at one sounded a lot like as landlocked Bolivia contrasts the ar- hearing a Tagalog fi rmly denying being chipelagic Philippines, I have come to ‘No, I am defi nitely not Paceña! I am a Bisaya. In fact, that one could have realise that these two countries share Sucrense!’, was her response. Let me sounded a lot like hearing myself speak. a resemblance deep beyond their stark clarify, it was not said as severely as it posh Metro Manila accent if you don’t to a binary of inferiority or of superio- say I am Filipino. And by me, this is to physical diff erences. looks like in print. Th e response was, Why is this such a big deal to us, Fili- want to be the butt of jokes. rity? White skin, light-colored eyes, and acknowledge that I am Tagalog, I am in fact, followed by an I-understand- pinos and Bolivianos? Why is it so ne- foreign accents—this is no less of a reci- Bisaya, I am Kapampangan, I am of A rich indigenous heritage, a long his- you’re-a-tourist kind of laugh. cessary for us to point out which group It is a fascinatingly ironic, and ultimately pe for instant celebrity in the Philippi- every indigenous Filipino group. I hope tory under Spanish rule, a blessed and we belong to and disassociate ourselves disappointing, mindset how people from nes as it is in Bolivia. And, consciously my Boliviano brother, too, would accept cursed wealth of extractable resources: Whether and how much she took from the rest, who are nonetheless of the these countries project a solid national or unconsciously, we all play a role in being every Boliviano as the answer to these are obvious similarities that could off ense, I would not know. She did same nationality? union only in times of supposed pride in reproducing these biases. his own identity questions.

24 roots BolivianExpress 25 propriate period for the land to rest. It’s reached all corners of the world. Sailors indeed possible this very practice gave and governors of colonies were among origin and sense to the rotation of Ma- the fi rst to appreciate importance of llkus, as well as to the Ayllu system. this tuber, as it fed them during long journeys. Missionaries and colonisers the roots of the andes When the colonisers arrived, work on spread the cultivation of potato to all the land owned by the community in continents, which is how it landed in IN BOLIVIA, CULTURE, the Ayllu began to deteriorate, and the Europe and Africa in the 16th Century, CIVILIZATION, AND THE ANDEAN Spanish policy of the encomienda was followed by Asia and North America MARKET ECONOMY REVOLVE established, producing serious damage in the 17th Century, and continuing on AROUND THE CULTIVATION OF to the social organisation of the An- to Australia and Oceania in the 19th THE POTATO. dean world. Th is schism destabilised and 20th Centuries. local spatial relations, with an ensuing TEXT: WILMER MACHACA weakening of the ecological organisa- In global terms, China is currently the TRANSLATION: ALEXANDRA MELEÁN tion. Th e destruction of the Ayllu ge- largest grower of potatoes, followed by PHOTO: JUAN MANUEL LOBATON nerated total confusion in the Andean Russia, India and the United States. Ac- villages. cording to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 325 During the Republic, diff erent reforms million tonnes of potatoes are produced were implemented. Th e most trans- each year. Th e world’s demand is now only cendental changes took place in 1953 owed to its nutritional properties (being a after a revolution great source of which shook the so- calories, micro- cioeconomic order ACCORDING TO THE nutrients and ll of the greatest cultures and of the country. Th e proteins), but civilizations have been built revolutionary project INSTITUTE FOR THE due to its uses around a lake or a sustaina- aimed towards indi- DEVELOPMENT OF in medicine, ‘A ble river’, argues Alexis Pérez, genous civilization RURAL AMERICA the production my Latin American History Professor. through processes of (IPDRS), TODAY THE of textiles and Th is is certainly the case for many villa- ‘mestización’ (hybri- paper, as well as ges built around Lake Titicaca —such dization), ‘castellani- POTATO IS THE THIRD applications in as the Tihuanacota, Chiripa or Ayma- zacion’ (spreading of MOST IMPORTANT pharmaceutical, ra—which also share the commonality the CROP IN THE HUMAN mining and oil of growing a crop which has mythic sig- as a lingua franca), industries. nifi cance: the potato. and the parcelling off DIET, AFTER RICE of rural land. Many AND WHEAT. In Bolivia, it is Th e origins of the potato crop began traditional values not surprising around 8,000 years ago near Lake Titi- were transformed to fi nd the po- caca. Several thousands of years earlier, in the process. Th e tato present communities of hunters and gatherers market economy took over and came in a large proportion of national dishes. populated the south of the continent. to govern the production of potatoes in Without her, life would be more diffi cult Potato plants grew in abundance in the the Andes. Th is brought about a pecu- in the Andean world. No Andean family fi elds around the lake, even before the liarly hybrid situation, a communitarian will lack potato or its derivatives such settlement of the fi rst communities. system working on parcelled land, and as tunta or chuño. Neither can it be ab- subject to market commercialisation. sent from parties, social or public events. Native stories about the potato’s origin I ask myself, would there be an apthapi are varied and involve everything from Th e subsistence of Andean population without potato? I don’t think so. illas and chullpas to condor societies, has historically relied on the cultivation or versions involving toads, foxes, and of this crop. Low estimates posit that Th is is why the signifi cance of the potato of course the lake, around which ex- 200 varieties have been domesticated, goes beyond its importance in the origin traordinary tales take place. Cultivation and according to research put together of Andean societies. It has been instru- of the potato has not only determined during the international year of the mental in feeding humanity as a whole. the agricultural calendar in the Andean potato in 2008, there could be as many Paradoxically, colonisation allowed the world, but its production has been tied as 5000 varieties produced in over 100 potato to colonise the world, becoming to the Andean cosmovision, as well as countries. According to the Institute for one of the true legacies left by the journey to the Pachamama, linking it with the the Development of Rural America (IP- Columbus embarked upon in 1492. Over fertility of the land and the people. DRS), today the potato is the third most fi ve centuries later, the true riches weren’t important crop in the human diet, after to be found in the gold which colonisers Th e cultivation of potatoes requires ro- rice and wheat. so recklessly sought. Th e true, renewable tation and rest. Th at is to say, their suc- wealth of the land was to be found un- cessful harvest depends on the quantity After the colonial era and successive derneath the earth and initially hidden and frequency of rain, as well as an ap- waves of European migration, the potato to their eyes: the potato.

26 roots BolivianExpress 27 UYUNI WILLAKUTI

Extending its reach beyond the sacred site of , in 2013 the government has decided to hold further celebrations for the Aymara New Year in El Salar de Uyuni. In a move that transforms the touristic into sacred, tradition thus continues to be reinvented. TEXT AND PHOTO: ALEXANDRA MELEÁN

lood stains the pearly, white ground everyone follows. me a stage, a cultural platform represen- of the Uyuni salt fl ats, fl owing from ting Bolivia’s plurinational identity. As of the necks of two decapitated llamas. Evo Morales does not show up, but his 2009, the Bolivian constitution states the B Coca leaves adorn the fur of the two, daughter Eva does. In keeping with an country is, ‘founded in decolonisation, as they lie bound and gagged, fatally compro- Aymara ritual, she pours alcohol onto without discrimination or exploitation’. mised in a sacrifi ce to la Pachamama the fur of the two llamas and takes a swig Cultural rediscovery unifi es the 36 indi- (Mother Earth). from the same bottle. Later, I walk up to genous communities in Bolivia that de- her, kiss her cheek and shake her hand. mand adequate representation. I haphazardly scramble up Isla Jithik’sa, a She tells me Andean traditions can be sharp, crumbly rock mass about the size of preserved. ‘Th e Plurinational State of Bolivia, has a carnival cruise ship. From the top, I have to include all of our indigenous com- a bird’s eye view of a government-organi- ‘Young people must come to events like munities,’ says indigenous leader Pascual sed festival held in honor of Willakuti. these,’ she says. ‘Th ey should share more Topo de Villaroel, ‘ like in the times of Tawantinsuyuo Rumour has it that and Qollasuyu. President Evo Mo- Otherwise the rales will be here. Plurinational Upon leaving La Paz, State of Bolivia it is still unclear if he does not exist’. would choose Uyuni over Tiwanaku for I stare at a fra- the New Year’s cele- med portrait of bration. Traditionally, Tupac Amaru, Tiwanaku has been the last Incan em- the stage for this peror before the momentous occasion Spanish colonised due to its archaeolo- Bolivia, which gical status as a sa- lies at Villaroel’s cred site at the root feet. of Andean culture. Felix Cardenas, Maybe he’ll be here. Vice Minister And if he shows up, for Decolonisa- maybe he’ll say a tion proclaims, thing or two about ‘we have been the future of Bolivia’s submissive to national treasure, its lithium. Perhaps he’ll EVO MORALES other traditions for a long time, but today talk about international trade. is the Andean and Amazonian New Year. DOES NOT SHOW UP, Th anks to our President we can keep Over the salt fl ats, a dreamy pink horizon BUT HIS DAUGHTER moving forward toward better conditions tints the sky. In the north, the sun rises, EVA DOES in our country.’ marking the beginning of the winter sols- tice. Music, dance and ritual follow. In the distance, the national Bolivian fl ag blows softly in the wind next to the national Sunlight illuminates the Andean Moun- of their lives with our indigenous people’. Wiphala fl ag. Felix and Eva dance to the tains. An Aymaran priest lights a fi re at the sound of Andean drums and panfl utes. In the top of Isla Jithik’sa. Th e burning kindle is an Quickly, the mood turns overtly political. rich salt fl ats of Bolivia, a new agricultural off ering to Tatainti. ‘¡Jallalla!’ he says, and In a matter of seconds, the salt fl ats beco- year begins for the indigenous Aymara nation.

28 roots LUNES Monday WILLAKUTI “Return of the sun,” in Aymara

Andean/Amazonian Indigenous women CHOLITAS CAMPESINO Working native of a rural area

MATRIMONIO Wedding Orphanage HOGARES DE NIÑOS

Big party offered normally by a wealthy member PRESTE of a community, most of the time it is part of a GOTA DE LECHE Drop of milk larger celebration such as Gran Poder festival.

Colloquial term for someone from the eastern HERMANA Sister CAMBA lowlands of Bolivia, more specifi cally from Santa Cruz.

MORENADA Afro-Bolivian music from the Andes EXTRANJERO Foreigner

A female who was born in La Paz PACEÑA AYLLU Political, social, economic, and administrative unit of the Andes

Chinese Restaurant Meaning condor, it is the name given to CHIFA MALLKU community leaders in Aymara societies.

Andean buffet. It is a meal collected and shared Coca tea MATE DE COCA APTAPHI in community, being it a group of friends, family or a larger organization.

A drink made out of corn CHICHA GLOSSARY

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PHOTO: MICHAEL DUNN CACERES ILLUSTRATION: MILA ARAOZ