Rural Bolivia
Rural Bolivia is divided in counties, which are very loosely administered from a central village called the county's capital. Surrounding it are the "communities," tiny villages that are essentially autonomous in their affairs. The influence of the central government on those is minimal and de facto, the inhabitants are usually isolationists with very little interest to cooperate with the external world. Millipaya is an example to such a community within the Sorata County.
Location
Millipaya is one of the highest communities in the county and it is substantially higher than the town of Sorata, sitting practically at the Illampu Mountain summit's base.
Reaching Millipaya
Millipaya can be reached by foot from Sorata by walking along the San Cristobal River; the walk takes three hours. If arriving by car, then take the dirt road splitting of the Achacachi-Sorata Road at the Cruce Millipaya.
History
Until the reforms of 1952, Millipaya was a "Patron-Town." That means the inhabitants were basically slaves of a patron that managed the village. They were paid for their work with food and the so-called right to live in the village. The scars of that period had not healed yet. In the Amazonian "estancias" the patrons systems still exist.
The Design
Unlike most Bolivian villages, Millipaya is split in two by the San Cristobal River, breaking thus the central plaza design. That is a welcomed change that creates a suddenly attractive design.
Agriculture
In La Paz, most Bolivians claim Bolivian agricultural products are organic, free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Seeing the bags of those products at sell in the markets I doubted these statements very much. In Millipaya I had the opportunity to ask the producers directly and was told that pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used regularly even in such remote areas.
Food
The people living in Millipaya and similar communities survive mainly by eating what they produce. A big part of their diet is based on corn (especially a big type called mote) and potatoes. Above two hundred types of potatoes are indigenous to the Andean Plateau and provide an incredible variety of dishes; sweet ocas and bitter chuños, white potatoes and yellow-and-red papalisas. Small amounts of foods imported from outside the county, like noodles and rice, are used as well.
Cooking
Incredibly for a country with such vast reserves of natural gas, all the cooking in the communities is done with the help of wood in mud-ovens. An extremely colorful event, it is worth making an effort to participate in it.
Houses
Most houses in Millipaya are built of adobe. I spotted a few constructed of huge adobe-and-stones bricks which are highly untypical of Bolivia. The central and communal structures are built of red bricks.
Churches
A visit to the area would allow witnessing a striking characteristic of rural Bolivia. In the capital town - Sorata in this case - the only churches to be seen are Roman Catholic. However, in the communities, most churches are Evangelical or Pentecostal ones.
The Songs
Visiting one of these churches would provide a golden opportunity of listening to the high-pitched Aymara voices. Even if unable to understand the words, the experience is highly touching.
The Rationale
Millipaya allows independent trekking to the nearby Illampu Mountain.