Enjoying Bolivia 159the more feeble the infrastructure. Killer landslides in the
rainy season are not unknown to these precarious hillside
settlements called collectively las laderas (the sides). When
the chalky, claylike limestone gives way under the incessant
rains, the mess arrives downtown.
By night under a full moon, Illimani shines and the city
becomes an inverted heaven; the poorest neighbourhoods
are granted the consolation of having the best view.
In colonial times, the author of Don Quixote, Miguel de
Cervantes, applied for the position of Mayor of La Paz. Today,
the city is in need of a real Don Quixote, and may have
found one in its mayor Juan del Granado, nicknamed Juan
Sin Miedo (Fearless Juan).
In the 1700s, a throng of the original Aymara inhabitants
laid siege to the city, under the leadership of Tupac Katari,
infl icting considerable damage against the colonial regime.
In modern times, Plaza Murillo has been the scene of
a series of violent confl icts, including the controversial
lynching of President Villarroel in 1946. Not surprisingly, the
presidential palace in that plaza is named El Palacio Quemado
(The Burned Palace).
Today, the most intrepid of all La Paz residents are the
roller bladers, who must navigate the city’s sharp inclines
and jarring cobblestones.
All rolling stones from the north, east and west will land
in El Prado. Using the southern tip of El Prado, a traffi c circle
called Plaza del Estudiante, we can divide the central city
into its four quadrants, nicknaming each one according to
its most defi ning trait.
Purist geographers may object to our labelling the
quadrants North-west, North-east, South-west and South-east,
since the main avenue cuts through La Paz at an angle. But
some sort of pattern recognition is vital to get around a city
of such anarchistic design.
Map of La Paz
For a detailed map, visit http://bolivia.gotolatin.com/eng/Info/
Hbook/LaPazMap.asp.