Enjoying Bolivia 183The human cost of massive layoffs in the mining industry,
Potosí’s primary liability, is embedded in the stoic suffering of
its people today. I expected to fi nd a sombre city, yet nights
on Calle Bolívar have a festival atmosphere, as throngs of
cheerful strollers defy all pessimism. Potosí’s winter nights
with no central heating and its inhumane altitude only serve
to make its residents more resilient.
Perhaps no place in the world offers such a contradictory
mix of beauty and affl iction. The ‘city of contrasts’ cliche,
which is true for most places on the globe, is an understatement
when referring to the sad yet cheerful city of Potosí.
El Alto
Can a squatters’ settlement be converted into a city? Just
above the rim of La Paz, El Alto attempts to answer in the
affi rmative. Even the name El Alto (the High Place) doesn’t
sound like a city. At 4,018 m (13,180 ft) you don’t get a
break in the altitude. At least Potosí has the protection of
wind-breaking hills.
El Alto’s embattled inhabitants, mostly indigenous
Aymaras who have immigrated from the country, receive