La Paz: Illimani's Amphitheatre

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A travel journal to La Paz by SeenThat

San Francisco Photo - Iglesia de San Francisco, La Paz, Bolivia

Quote: On the western part of central South America, a plateau rises up 4,000m, connecting the Royal and Western Ranges of the Andean Mountains. Where the plateau breaks towards the Amazonian Basin, in a most dramatic landscape, a city was created a few centuries ago. Surprisingly, it survived.

16 Photos

Iglesia de San Francisco

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Attraction

Quote:

Despite belonging to the same Catholic order, the San Franciscan churches in Salta and La Paz could hardly be different. In Salta even the architects were imported from Europe, while in Bolivia the temple was built with the forced work of the indigenous people.HistoryThe convent of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles was founded in 1549, one year after the City of La Paz foundation, on a terrain occupying two blocks across the Choqueyapu River from the Spaniards’ city. Th...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 31, 2008

Iglesia de San Francisco
Plaza San Francisco at the northern end of Avenida El Prado
La Paz, Bolivia

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Plaza Murillo

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Metropolitan Cathedral and Obelisk Photo - La Paz, Bolivia

Quote:

ConceptColonial cities of Spanish heritage are built around a central plaza; surrounding it are the main administrative building and churches in the city. That’s the case with Salta and also with La Paz, where Plaza Murillo fills that role.CitySince Bolivian independence, the city of La Paz changed character, from a departmental capital to the de facto national one. Following Bolivia’s defeat on the Pacific War (1879-84), the political capit...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 31, 2008

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Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)

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Attraction | "Chacaltaya Mountain and Moon Valley"

Huayna Potosi Mountain Photo - Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), Bolivia, South America

Quote:

The Chacaltaya Mountain and the Moon Valley are both nearby downtown La Paz and are offered as a single combined day tour by all the travel agents in town. The visits’ order is set according on the season and weather. A combined tour costs around 50BOB (slightly above $6.5) per person; usually there are daily departures from Sagarnaga Street near the San Francisco Church.Chacaltaya The similarities between Kathmandu and La Paz are of...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 7, 2008

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)
Valle De La Luna
San Pedro de Atacama

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La Paz Markets

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Witches or Pachamama Market Photo - La Paz, Bolivia

Quote:

I thought about writing this entry for a long time. However, every time I sat down with the intention of doing that, I faced the same problem. All of La Paz streets double as markets. Locals use different names for its various parts but it is technically impossible to say where one market begins and the next one ends.Moreover, many of the stalls and ambulant sellers wouldn’t be considered as such by Westerners. Many hawkers operate in ways I have spotted only in Bolivia – at least in such extent. For example, many live in Bolivia by buying a bag of candies and selling a ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 8, 2008

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