Sights in La Paz
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Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
Better modern art may be found in various other collections around town, but this private museum wins the gold star for the most interesting building: a restored 19th-century mansion (only one of four left on the Prado) with a glass roof and stained-glass panels designed by Gustave Eiffel. The museum’s eclectic collection housed over three floors is a mix of reasonable – but not mind-blowing – Bolivian and international work. You might catch an interesting temporary exhibition.
reviewed
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Coca Museum
Chew on some facts inside the small, slightly tired Coca Museum, which explores the sacred leaf’s role in traditional societies, its use by the soft-drink and pharmaceutical industries, and the growth of cocaine as an illicit drug. The displays (ask for a translation in your language) are educational, provocative and evenhanded.
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Mirador Laikakota
The Mirador Laikakota - part of Kusillo Cultural Complex & Children's Museum - is in a tranquil park setting and is perfect for kids.
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Mercado de Hechicería
The city's most unusual market, 'Witches' Market', lies amid lively tourist artesanía (local handcraft) shops. What they're selling isn't exactly witchcraft in the Hollywood sense; the merchandise is mainly herbs and folk remedies, as well as a few more unorthodox ingredients intended to manipulate the various spirits worshipped by the local Aymará people.
If you're building a new house, for example, you can buy a llama fetus to bury beneath the cornerstone as a cha'lla (offering) to Pachamama, encouraging her to inspire good luck therein. This practice is strictly for poor campesinos, however; wealthier Bolivians are expected to sacrifice a fully functioning llama. If…
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Islas Flotantes
The unique Islas Flotantes (floating islands) of the Uros people are Lake Titicaca's top tourist attraction. Although their popularity has led to massive over-commercialization, there is still nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world. The biggest island has several buildings, including a school, post office and an overabundance of souvenir shops.
Always a small tribe, the Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from aggressors. Today, several hundred people still live on the islands and eke out a living with fishing and tourism. The inhabitants of the most touristed islands have also built rickety observation…
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San Pedro Prison
San Pedro's fame is that it functions unlike any other prison: there are no guards inside, the inmates don't wear uniforms, there are no curfews and the prisoners have to work to be able to pay for their cells, which they have to rent or buy depending on their financial situation. This infamous prison is now quite a hard place to visit.
Inside, it's like a little town. The prison is divided into eight areas. There is a clear hierarchy between the different areas, and some are richer, brighter and (supposedly) safer, while others are dark, dingy and rough. During the day, the violence is contained and prisoners play cards, football and do their work, but life gets rough at…
reviewed
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La Paz Cemetery
As in most Latin American cemeteries, bodies are buried in the traditional Western way or placed in a crypt. Within 10 years, they are disinterred and cremated. After cremation, families purchase or rent glass-fronted spaces in the cemetery walls for the ashes, affix plaques and mementos of the deceased and place flowers behind the glass door.
Each wall has hundreds of these doors, and some of the walls have expanded upward to such an extent that they resemble three- or four-story apartment blocks. As a result the cemetery is an active place, full of people passing through to visit relatives.
There are also huge family mausoleums, as well as sections dedicated to mine…
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Valle de la Luna
About 10km down the canyon of the Río Choqueyapu from the city center, Valle de la Luna is a slightly over-hyped place, though it’s a pleasant break from urban La Paz. It could be easily visited in a morning or combined with another outing such as a hike to Muela del Diablo to fill an entire day. It isn’t a valley at all, but a bizarre, eroded hillside maze of canyons and pinnacles technically known as badlands. Several species of cactus grow here, including the hallucinogenic choma (San Pedro cactus). Unfortunately, urban growth has caught up to the area, making it less of a viewpoint than it otherwise might be. Note: readers have reported muggings in recent years,…
reviewed
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Cathedral & Plaza Murillo
A relatively recent addition to La Paz's collection of religious structures, the 1835 cathedral is an impressive structure. The cathedral's sheer immensity, with its high dome, hulking columns, thick stone walls and high ceilings, is overpowering, but the altar is relatively simple. Inside, the main attraction is the profusion of stained-glass work.
Beside the cathedral is the Presidential Palace, and in the center of Plaza Murillo, opposite, stands a statue of President Gualberto Villarroel. In 1946, he was dragged from the palace by vigilantes and hanged from a lamppost in the square. Interestingly enough, Don Pedro Domingo Murillo, for whom the plaza was named, met a…
reviewed
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Iglesia de San Francisco
The hewed stone basilica of San Francisco reflects an appealing blend of 16th-century Spanish and mestizo (indigenous-Spanish) trends. The facade is decorated with stone carvings of natural themes while the mass of rock pillars and stone faces in the upper portion of the plaza is intended to honor Bolivia's three great cultures - Tiahuanaco, Inca and modern.
The cloisters and garden of the recently opened Museo San Francisco, adjacent to the basilica, beautifully revive the history and art of the city's landmark. There are heavenly religious paintings, historical artifacts, an interesting anteroom and a Godlike, if quirky, view from the roof.
reviewed
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Museum
Near Plaza Murillo, this museum - Museo Nacional del Arte is housed in the former Palacio de Los Condes de Arana. This stunning building was constructed in 1775 of pink Viacha granite and has been restored to its original grandeur, in Mestizo (mixed) baroque and Andino baroque styles. In the center of a huge courtyard, surrounded by three stories of pillared corridors, is a lovely alabaster fountain. The various levels are dedicated to different eras, from pre-hispanic works to contemporary art, with an emphasis on religious themes. Highlights include works by former Paceño Marina Nuñez del Prado. There are regular temporary exhibitions on the ground floor.
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Museo Nacional de Arqueología
Two blocks east of the Prado, this museum holds a small but well-sorted collection of artifacts that illustrate the most interesting aspects of the Tiwanaku culture’s five stages – those that weren’t stolen or damaged during the colonial days. Some of the ancient stonework disappeared into Spanish construction projects, while valuable pieces found their way into European museums or were melted down for royal treasuries. Unfortunately there are no explanations in English, only Spanish. Also holds excellent temporary exhibitions.
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Textile Museum
Fans of Bolivia’s lovely traditional weaving consider this small textile museum - Museo de Textiles Andinos Bolivianos, a must-see. Examples of the country’s finest traditional textiles (including pieces from the Cordillera Apolobamba, and the Jal’qa and Candelaria regions of the Central Highlands) are grouped by region and described in Spanish. The creative process is explained from fiber to finished product. The gift shop sells museum- quality originals; 90% of the sale price goes to the artists.
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Museo Costumbrista Juan de Vargas
The Museo Costumbrista Juan de Vargas contains art and photos, as well as some superb ceramic figurine dioramas of old La Paz. One of these is a representation of akulliko, the hour of coca-chewing; another portrays the festivities surrounding the Día de San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist’s Day) on June 24; another depicts the hanging of Murillo in 1810. Also on display are colonial artifacts and colorful dolls wearing traditional costumes. A pleasant cafe is on the premises.
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Casa de Murillo
Once the home of don Pedro Domingo Murillo, a leader in the La Paz Revolution of July 16, 1809, the Casa de Murillo displays collections of colonial art and furniture, textiles, medicines, musical instruments and household items of glass and silver that once belonged to Bolivian aristocracy. Other odds and ends include a collection of Alasitas miniatures. Murillo was hanged by the Spanish on January 29, 1810, in the plaza now named after him. The most intriguing painting on display is The Execution of Murillo.
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Museo de Instrumentos Musicales
The exhaustive, hands-on collection of unique instruments at this museum is a must for musicians. The brainchild of charango master Ernesto Cavour Aramayo, it displays all possible incarnations of the charango (a traditional Bolivian ukulele-type instrument) and other indigenous instruments used in Bolivian folk music and beyond. You can also arrange charango and wind instrument lessons here for around B$50 per hour.
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Museo del Litoral
Sometimes called the Museo de la Guerra del Pacífico, the diminutive Museo del Litoral incorporates relics from the 1884 war in which Bolivia became landlocked after losing its Litoral department to Chile. The collection consists mainly of historical maps that defend Bolivia’s emotionally charged claims to Antofagasta and Chile’s Segunda Región.
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Mercado Lanza
Between Plaza Pérez Velasco and Calle Figueroa is Mercado Lanza one of La Paz main food markets (the other major one is Mercado Camacho). It sells all manner of fruits, vegetables, juices, dairy products, breads and canned foods. There are also numerous stalls where you can pick up a sandwich, soup, salteña (filled pastry shells), empanada or full meal.
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Templete Semisubterráneo (Museo al Aire Libre)
The open-pit Templete Semisubterráneo (Museo al Aire Libre) contains replicas of statues found in Tiahuanaco's Templete Semisubterráneo. The showpiece Megalito Bennetto Pachamama (Bennett monolith) was moved to Tiahuanaco's new site museum to avoid further smog-induced deterioration. This place is only worth seeing if you aren't able to visit the actual site.
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Presidential Palace
Beside the Cathedral Murillo is the Presidential Palace and in the center of Plaza Murillo, opposite, stands a statue of President Gualberto Villarroel. In 1946, he was dragged from the palace by vigilantes and hanged from a lamppost in the square. Interestingly enough, Don Pedro Domingo Murillo, for whom the plaza was named, met a similar fate here in 1810.
reviewed
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Lucha Libre
To fighting of a different kind, one of the most popular local attractions in El Alto is the Lucha Libre, which are wrestling matches where theatrical males and acrobatic cholitas play to the crowds. It’s on at the Polifuncional de la Ceja de El Alto, a multifunctional sports stadium.
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Museo San Francisco
The cloisters and garden of the recently opened Museo San Francisco, adjacent to the basilica, beautifully revive the history and art of the city’s landmark. There are heavenly religious paintings, historical artifacts, an interesting anteroom and a God-like, if quirky, view from the roof.
reviewed
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Vesty Pakos Zoo
After a traipse around Valle de la Luna, you can also visit the village of Mallasa, popular among paceños on weekends. Just east of Mallasa is La Paz’s spacious, but sorely underfunded, Vesty Pakos Zoo. Animal lovers may be upset by the poor conditions, however.
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Flower Market
The Flower Market appropriately located opposite the cemetery at the top of Batista, is a beautiful splash of color amid one of the city's drabber and less safe areas. Unfortunately it also sits alongside a festering open sewer and garbage dump, which make it rather confusing to the nostrils.
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Museo Tambo Quirquincho
The intriguing Museo Tambo Quirquincho, off Evaristo Valle at Plaza Alonzo de Mendoza, is a former tambo (wayside market and inn). There are displays of old-fashioned dresses, silverware, photos, artwork and a collection of Carnaval masks.
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