Witches Market, La Paz, Day 51

It feels as if we’re becalmed in La Paz, a city that I have not warmed to at all. I’m still maudlin over my recent failure to climb Parinacota. I really thought I’d summit and I’m left to wonder was it me or was it my guide, Sergio? Was I not good enough or did he not care enough? To try and pull me out of my funk, Christi decides to show me around, beginning with the famous Witches Market. Fetuses, fetishes, and fabrics (colorful blankets and shawls, plus hats, scarves, and bags) sit cheek by jowl, attracting an eclectic mix of customers. The locals keep a wary eye on proceedings, and even when you think they aren’t looking, they instinctively know if you’re taking photos of them or their wares. And they approve of neither without payment. Perhaps there’s more to this witches markets than meets the eye.

Next up is the Plaza San Francisco. The square is a popular gathering place and many people are hanging out there, including some suspicious looking characters in ski-masks. On closer inspection, the ski-masked denizens are actually shoe-shine boys (or lustrabotas). Apparently they wear the masks to hide their identity, as lustrabotas face social ostracism for working on the streets, although there appears to be no shortage of customers making use of their services. The mask also represents a kind of badge of honor among the lustrabotas, who are some of the poorest people in La Paz. They possess few skills and sadly have zero chance of economic mobility. They earn a paltry 30¢ for each pair of shoes they shine. And I’m wearing Teva’s, today.

Iglesia San Francisco is the main highlight in the square. It has a classic baroque design, although the Aymara, who built the church in the 18th century, added some of their own stylistic flourishes to the façade, including extravagant floral patterns and symbolic figures (such as snakes, ceremonial masks, dragons, and birds).