The Bolivian People 89gets sprinkled with alcohol or whisky in what is known as
cha’lla. Miners offer coca and alcohol to La Pachamama when
entering the mine.
The cha’lla custom has reached virtually every segment
of Bolivian society.
Latin Americans
The cultural gap between middle class, Westernised Bolivians
and the Guaraní, is wider than the gap between foreign
visitors and Bolivians of Hispanic and other European
heritages. At the same time that indigenous Bolivians have
been victimised by discrimination from within the country,
Westernised Bolivians have been the object of stereotyping
from abroad, ever since they were labelled as hillbillies
by the Lima aristocracy, following independence in the
early 1800s.
Today, well meaning people watch National Geographic
documentaries on Amazonian Indians who live in trees
(wisely so, in order to avoid insects and vermin) and assume
that this is typical South America.
A Sense of Humour Required
I once invited an Ecuadorian friend to speak to a Spanish language
class of mine. Following his talk, the students were invited to ask
questions. One young man raised his hand and asked if Ecuadorians
still live in trees. “Yes we do,” said my friend, “but we go up
by elevator.”Perhaps the most grotesque stereotype of Bolivia is
found in the classic fi lm Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
(Adventurers still search for the remains of Butch Cassidy in
the Tarija area.)
Near the end of the fi lm, the two American bandits are
cornered by the whole Bolivian army. Naturally, the two
gringos hide as they shoot. But the stupid Bolivian soldiers
stand on top of a wall like shooting-gallery ducks, and are
shot down one by one. The fi lm never shows the death of
the two bandits, leaving the impression that they might
have escaped.