Sights in Cochabamba
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Iglesia de la Recoleta
North of Río Rocha, the Baroque Iglesia de la Recoleta was started in 1654. It contains the attractive wooden Cristo de la Recoleta.
reviewed
-
B
Iglesia de Santo Domingo
The rococo Iglesia de Santo Domingo was founded in 1612 but construction didn’t begin until 1778. The intriguing main facade is made of stone, with anthropomorphic columns. The interior, with a much-revered Trinity, is less interesting.
reviewed
-
C
Cochabamba Cathedral
This cathedral is the valley's oldest religious structure, begun in 1571. Later additions and renovations have removed some character, but it preserves a fine eastern portal. Inside it is light and airy, with various ceiling paintings. There are statues of several saints, a gilded altarpiece and a grotto for the Inmaculada (Virgin of the Immaculate Conception).
reviewed
-
D
Iglesia & Convento de San Francisco
Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia & Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. Major revisions and renovation occurred in 1782 and 1925, however, and little of the original structure remains. The attached convent and cloister were added in the 1600s. The cloister was constructed of wood rather than the stone that was customary at the time. The pulpit displays good examples of mestizo design, and there’s a fine gold retable.
reviewed
-
E
Villa Albina
In the village of Pairumani you can visit Villa Albina and tour the home the tin baron - Simon Patino, actually occupied. This enormous white mansion was named for his wife. Albina was presumably as fussy as her husband when it came to the finer things in life, and the elegant French decor of the main house and the Carrara-marble mausoleum seem typical of royalty anywhere in the world. There’s a formal garden, complete with topiary and the family mausoleum in which the Don and his wife were finally laid to rest.
reviewed
-
F
Museo Arqueológico
The Museo Arqueológico has an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the archaeological collection, the ethnographic collection and the paleontological collection. The first deals primarily with indigenous culture from the Cochabamba region. Look out for the Tiwanaku section; their shamans used to snort lines of hallucinogenic powder through elegant bone tubes. The ethnographic collection provides material from Amazonian and Chaco cultures including examples of non-alphabetized writing, which is from the 18th century and was used to bring Christianity to the illiterate Indians. The paleontological…
reviewed
-
G
Mercado Cancha Calatayud
Cochabamba is Bolivia's biggest market town. The main market is the enormous La Cancha, which is one of the most crowded, chaotic, claustrophobic and exhilarating spots in the country. Around the markets you'll find just about everything imaginable, but keep an eye out for pickpockets.
The largest and most accessible area is Mercado Cancha Calatayud, which sprawls across a wide area along Av Aroma and south toward the former railway station. Here is your best opportunity to see local dress, which differs strikingly from that of the Altiplano.
reviewed
-
H
Convento de Santa Teresa
The most interesting building in town is the noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa. Visits to this timeless and gracefully decaying complex are by guided tour only and provide a snapshot of the extraordinary lives led by the cloistered nuns that inhabit it. You see the peaceful cloister, fine altarpieces and sculptures (from Spanish and Potosí schools), the convent church, and even get to ascend to the roof for a glorious view over the city. The convent was founded in 1760, then destroyed in an earthquake; the new church was built with an excess of ambition, and was too big to be domed. The existing church was built inside it in 1790. There’s still a Carmelite…
reviewed
-
I
Cristo de la Concordia
This immense statue stands atop Cerro de San Pedro behind Cochabamba. It's a few centimeters higher than the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, which stands 33m high, or one meter for each year of Christ's life. Cochabambinos justify the one-upmanship by claiming that Christ actually lived 33 años y un poquito (33 years and a bit).
There's a footpath from the base of the mountain (1250 steps) but several robberies have been reported, particularly around sunset. Safer and sweatless is the teleférico (cable car). On Sunday, you can climb right to the top of the statue and get an even better overview of the city.
The closest public transportation access is on micro…
reviewed