La Paz, Bolivia Culture

Some fairs and cultural events are held annually. Every year the majestic entry of the great power is celebrated, which brings together many people from all over the country and foreigners, it is a folkloric entry that shows the various dances of Bolivia, where miscegenation predominates in these indigenous dances. Much of cultural life is organized by the local municipality or the central government. On the Paseo de El Prado the “Sunday Fair” is held to give space to artists and different types of exhibitors who meet and offer shows of different types to de-stress the congested center with a relaxed and family-oriented artistic atmosphere. ^{[3. 4]}

The Alasitas Fair

According to educationvv, La Paz is a city with many ancestral traditions. For example, the Feria de la Alasita or Feria de las Alasitas (name that comes from the Aymara ala-si-ta: ‘buy me’) ^[35] is a traditional festival in which people buy miniaturized handicrafts to attract good luck.. ^[36] It will take place from January 24, at the La Paz fairgrounds and lasts for approximately three weeks. In addition, all the crafts represent the things that one wants to have in the future such as money, work, good luck, health, love, studies, etc. ^[35]

Long night of museums

This is carried out throughout the city since 2007 in which there are different activities related to culture. At first it started as a way to bring people to museums but later more institutions and artistic groups joined the initiative. In the last Long Night of Museums, 76 institutions participated, including 26 museums, 32 exhibition halls, as well as several libraries, theater halls and cultural institutions. ^[37]

International Book Fair (FIL)

In La Paz the International Book Fair is held annually, where exponents from all over the region and from other countries participate. The fair has had different venues, including the Circle of Army Officers, and the Chuquiago Marka fairground where it was held in 2014.

The fair is commonly held at the end of July and concludes in August, but the date is variable. ^[38]

Entrance of the Lord of Great Power

It is a Catholic folkloric demonstration in honor of the Lord of the Great Power. It currently gathers approximately 40,000 dancers and runs 8 kilometers from the center of La Paz. Dancers fraternities begin entry at 7:00 AM and continue until all 65 fraternities end. ^[39]

Mega Fest

The Mega Fest is a cultural event that started in 2014 and brings over 1000 artists annually. Among musicians (electronic, rock, indie, punk, etc.), dancers, designers, artisans, graffiti artists, urban artists, skateboarders, martial artists, anime and cosplay culture and break dance figures, it makes it the largest urban art festival in the world. country. The event takes place in the fairground of the Central Urban Park. In 2015 the festival had six stages. It is expected that by 2016 this number will double and it will also be extended to 2 or 3 days. These stages host the artistic proposals translated into concerts, exhibition of works of art, expo-sales, conferences, presentation of literary works, talks, urban sports, workshops and others. In addition to promoting urban art, ^[40]

Festivities

Most important festivals and holidays: ^[41]

• January 24: Alasitas
• February or March (moving date): Carnival
• May (mobile date): Folklore entry of Señor Jesús del Gran Poder
• June 21: Aymara New Year
• Last Saturday in July: traditional university folk entrance
• July 16: anniversary of La Paz
• October 20: anniversary of the founding of La Paz
• November 1 and 2: All Saints

Illustrious people

Some recognized La Paz: ^[42]

• Pedro Domingo Murillo (1757-1810), military precursor of Bolivian independence. He is considered the most important character in the history of La Paz.
• José Miguel Lanza (1781-1828), military and pro-independence general.
• José María Pérez de Urdininea (1784-1865), Bolivian military and politician.
• Andrés Santa Cruz (1792-1865), military man, politician and statesman; he was president of Peru, president of Bolivia and “protector” of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, remembered for taking Bolivia to its peak as a state it never had again.
• Sebastián Ágreda (1795-1875), military man, politician and president.
• José Ballivián (1805-1852), military man, politician and president.
• Eusebio Guilarte Vera (1805-1849), military and politician, president of Bolivia for ten days, between December 23, 1847 and January 2, 1848.
• Pedro José Domingo de Guerra (1809-1879), Bolivian jurist, magistrate and politician, interim president of Bolivia in 1879.
• Jorge Córdova (1822-1861), military man and president, shot at age 39
• José Manuel Pando (1848-1917), military man, explorer and president, militarily led the Acre War in which Bolivia fought against Brazil; a department of Bolivia bears his name in his honor.
• Ismael Montes (1861-1933), politician and president.
• Bautista Saavedra Mallea (1870-1939), Bolivian lawyer, politician and writer, president between 1921 and 1925.
• Alcides Arguedas (1879-1946), writer, politician and historian, his literary work addresses issues related to national identity, miscegenation and indigenous problems, for the latter considered a precursor of indigenism.
• Felipe Segundo Guzmán (1879-1932), pedagogue, politician and president.
• Franz Tamayo (1879-1956), poet, politician and diplomat, considered one of the central figures of 20th century Bolivian literature, a province of the department of La Paz bears his name.
• José Luis Tejada Sorzano (1882-1934), politician and president.
• Arturo Borda (1883-1953), painter, portraitist, landscaper and writer.
• Tomás Monje Gutiérrez (1884-1954), politician and president.
• Néstor Guillén Olmos (1890-1966), president for less than a month, in 1946.
• Marina Núñez del Prado (1910-1995), the most acclaimed sculptor in Bolivia, considered a key figure in the introduction of modernism in Latin American sculpture during the first half of the 20th century.
• Juan Lechín Oquendo (1914-2001), trade unionist and politician.
• Yolanda Bedregal (1916-1999), poet and novelist.
• Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas (1925-2005), politician and president.
• Luis García Meza (1929-), military man and dictator who in 1980 perpetrated the coup against the constitutional president Lidia Guéiler.
• Mario Monje (1929-), Bolivian communist politician, traitor to the cause of Che Guevara in Bolivia, in 1966 and 1967.
• Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada (1930-), businessman and president, expatriated in the United States to evade justice in his country.
• Juan Pereda Asbún (1931-2012), military and politician, de facto president.
• Jorge Vázquez Viaña (1939-1967), a fellow guerrilla of Che Guevara; possibly disappeared in 1967.
• Blanca Wiethüchter (1947-2004), writer, essayist and literary critic.
• Carlos Mesa Gisbert (1953-), journalist and politician, president in 2002-2005.
• David Choquehuanca (1961-), Bolivian union leader and politician.
• Ximena Herrera (1979), actress based in Mexico.