Tour of El Valle Alto

Our class had another bus trip, this time to 4 pueblos about an hour and a half south of Cochabamba.
The towns were poor & in disrepair but better off we were told than the remote indigenous villages. Every town had a central plaza.

Tarata, the first stop on the tour we visited a beautiful old church connected to a monastery still staffed by Franciscan friars.

Festivity of "San Severino"
On November 28th in the town of Tarata, Esteban Arze province, the festivity of San Severino takes places. This is an important celebration since San Severino is given the power to bless his devotees with rain, which is much needed and valued in Cochabamba.

The market in Punata was very interesting in that the many grains; barley, wheat, maiz, etc. are sold before they are ground. Most households have a little grinding stone for daily use. A Bolivian type of rabbit is sold as local fast food.

Along the way we stopped for dinner at a local restaurant and sampled the local brew called chichi, from fermented corn.