Feliz Año Nuevo Andino: 5518

(Warning: a few of these images are not for the faint of heart.)



Monday, June 21 marked the Southern Hemisphere´s winter solstice and the beginning of a new Andean calendar year, 5518. We didn´t have the will to take a midnight bus to Tiwanaku for the big ´hands to the sun´ celebration, but we did make it over to the small alley where curanderos (traditional healers) sell dried llama fetuses, herbs, amulets, and other items of significance to (indigenous) Aymara and Quechua people.


Beautiful fruit


Llama fetuses, aka where David Lynch got the idea for Eraserhead



Apparently it´s not uncommon for folks to miss the big sunrise celebration, so the local TV station does a whole show with a local curandera who dolls up a her own llama fetus with a little fuzzy hat (not unlike those rasta beanies that are a staple of all liberal arts universities) and some tinsel, splashes it with some flammable liquid, reads the ´signs´of the liquid splattered on a nearby wall, then sets the whole thing on fire. ¡Muy intenso a las ocho en la mañana! (Translation: Not what you might be expecting to watch with your Wheaties...)

I´ve talked to others about the practice of making offerings to pachamama (Mother Earth), and apparently an actual llama fetus is not necessary. Small chalk tablets bearing an image of a llama can also be used. Different tablets are used to signify different requests for wealth, health, education, and maybe just a new car.


Sunrise at Tiwanaku, courtesy of the AP.

After wandering through La Paz´s ¨Witches´ Market¨ to get a full morning of local color under our belts, we took a series of cabs out to Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), an area of arid badlands just outside of La Paz. A miniature version of Bryce Canyon in Utah, the valley is a surreal landscape of rain-sculpted clay towers, runnels, and unusual colors. There are also some wonderful cacti and, rumor has it, vizcachas.

We never came across any, but do yourself a favor and watch this video. Now!


Welcome to the moon




No, really, we´re not in Utah


Moon over cactus







We caught a packed local micro back to town and, again, Z felt the full brunt of a South American leaner. Beware, these cholitas look innocuous, but those layered skirts and bowler hats pack a punch.

Luckily, respite was found with cold beverages and unusual sentiments scrawled on the wall of a fried-chicken establishment.


Liqueur de coca, mmmm...


Though their numbers are small, Bolivian vegetarians speak up

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!