Word: altiplano
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...unmistakable conclusion. Little by little the tentacles of Western society creep further from the cities into the countryside, strangling off the traditions inherited from the Indian past. It is because of its geography that Bolivia has eluded the grasp of modernism for as long as it has. Its brutal altiplano in the west, its gaping valleys in the center and its impassable jungles in the east have made efficient communication and transportation almost impossible until very recently. But, with economic progress and the importation of technology from abroad, the once-isolated countryside is becoming increasingly exposed to the Western life...
...first view of La Paz, Bolivia's capital and largest city, approached from the west, is perhaps one of the most spectacular moments in world travel. From the border with Peru the bus jaunts along a stumbly dirt road for three hours through the barren spaces of the altiplano, the 14,000-foot-high plateau that covers the western third of Bolivia. Above the tree line, this gaping wasteland is broken only by the occasional adobe huts and the surrounding protective adobe walls of the Aymara Indians, who have scratched out a living here for countless centuries. Soon the huts...
...layout of La Paz can be viewed as a metaphor for the stark contrasts between wealth and poverty that pervade all Latin American societies. Dug into the stony walls near the top of the canyon are the most wretched hovels, those of the peasants most recently arrived from the altiplano. The weather in this part of the city, which is 12,500 feet above sea level, is pleasant on a clear day; at night, however, the cold is brutal. The air is very thin, and breathing becomes difficult after any strenuous activity. As the bus descends along...
...years. In 1966 La Paz had a population of 325,000; today, it is estimated to be close to 600,000. The annual per capita income in Bolivia is an astoundingly meager $200, the lowest in South America. The bulk of this poverty is concentrated in the wind-swept altiplano that surrounds La Paz. For centuries the Aymara lived here in isolation, speaking their own Indian tongue and showing a hostile back to any intruders. However, with each passing year, improved transportation and communication led to increased contact with the city, and the peasants became less and less willing...
Here was where people came to buy their coca. Two-foot high transparent bags appeared green with the small leaves that the Bolivian Indians chew as part of a tradition dating back millenia. On the altiplano, where the nights are wintry and food scarce, the coca leaves, when chewed hour after hour, help to drive out the cold and to kill one's appetite. These Aymara no longer live on the altiplano, but it is still cold at night and food is far from plentiful. Shipped in hugh quantities from the jungle, the coca sells for incredibly cheap prices...