Pre-Columbian Treasures
Long before the Incas, other pre-Columbian peoples left their mark on Bolivian soil. It is the case of the Moxos of Amazonia, inventors of an astonishing architecture of the water. Irrigation and navigation canals, dykes and reservoirs are among their creations, but the most impressive are their artificial islands that look like hills because of their elevated structure that keeps villages and crops dry. The localities of Loma Alta and Loma Suarez are the direct heirs. The Tiwanaku civilization is known for its incredible mastery of stone, both in construction and decoration, as well as for its spatial organization defined by the function of the buildings. The archaeological site of Tiwanaku conceals real treasures, starting with the Temple of Akapana. If today only the lower floor and part of the walls have been preserved, it is necessary to imagine that originally it was a pyramid composed of seven platforms with retaining walls of almost 18 meters. This powerful structure of sandstone and andesite was surmounted by a temple and surrounded by drainage channels to protect it. The other jewel of the site is the Kalasassaya, big rectangular temple, whose name means "erected stones" in Aymara language. A name which refers to the superb sculpted monoliths sheltered by the temple. The south door of the temple was carved in a single block of andesite. Its sides were pierced of niches being able to welcome statues, while its pediment is decorated with a masterly carved frieze representing probably an agricultural calendar.
The Aymaras left astonishingadobe towers (mixture of earth and straw), most often square, sometimes circular, with a single door and up to 8 meters high. They are called "chullpas" and are funeral monuments. You will be able to see in particular near the village of Condor Amaya. So many elements which inspired the Incas. If the witnesses of this legendary people are less numerous than in Peru, they are not less spectacular. Bolivia is thus crossed by the Qhapaq Nan, big road network which covered thousands of kilometers through the Andes. Based on four main roads, it joined the secondary networks of the various crossed countries. Roads paved with stone, bridges suspended on the side of canyons, steep stairs following the reliefs, but also relay stations, forts and inns punctuate these roads of legend. The Fuerte de Samaipata is a testimony of an architecture based on precision, solidity, symmetry and harmony. The site illustrates very well the Inca urbanism separating cultural center and administrative and residential center, the public buildings being organized around a big central square. These buildings - notably the Acllahuasi or Houses of the Chosen, the Kallanka or military fortress, the Court or trade area and the Tambo, a kind of caravanserai - are placed on different platforms. The ceremonial center is organized, him, around a monolithic rock of reddish sandstone in the impressive dimensions (220 m length on 60 m wide!) and in the entirely engraved surfaces. The Incas also left real citadels protected by imposing walls, as the sites of Incallajta and Incarracay show it.
Colonial heritage
The historical hearts of the big Bolivian cities are drawn according to a checkerboard plan, typically European, organized around a big square, the Plaza Major. This square, lined with arcades, concentrates all the powers: the cathedral, the government palace and the commercial authorities. The perfectly straight and paved streets that lead to it are lined with low houses with colorful facades. The colonial house is organized around one or several arcaded patios whose wooden columns are often worked in a very stylized way, the whole of the rooms opening on this space of intimacy and freshness. The walls are most often made of pisé (a mixture of mud and straw) and covered with plaster, but can also be made of stone. The roofs are most often decorated with ceramic tiles. Some houses also have wooden balconies and bow windows as well as covered outdoor galleries. Among the most beautiful examples of this colonial urbanism, don't miss: Calle Jaén in La Paz; the beautiful square of Santa Cruz de la Sierra; the streets of Trinidad lined with an ingenious system of ditches to evacuate rainwater; the superb mansions of Sucre; and the Plaza del 10 de Noviembre in Potosí... whose Casa de la Moneda is one of the largest colonial civil buildings in all of the Americas Many beautiful colonial houses have been converted into museums, especially in La Paz. Churches, convents and monasteries were first adorned in the colors of the styles in vogue in Europe. The Iglesia de la Merced in Potosí has a beautiful typical Mudejar ceiling, as does the church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Sucre. The church of Curahuara de Carangas has been nicknamed "the Sistine Chapel of the Altiplano" because of its incredible frescoes and its sober and simple silhouette that remind the Renaissance lines of the famous Roman chapel! But it is especially the baroque that will have the favor of the Spanish colonists. It was necessary to impress the future faithful. Torsoed columns, curved and spiral motifs, colors, gilding and sculpted decorations are among its key attributes. Among the masterpieces of this style are: the Tower of the Society of Jesus and its beautiful carved stone portal, and the Iglesia y convento San Francisco with its twisted columns carved with vines and the colorful tiles on its roof, both in Potosí; the church of the Museo y convento de Santa Clara in Sucre, with its beautiful polychromy of white, blue and gold and its superb baroque organ; or the Convento-Museo Santa Teresa in Cochabamba with its frescoes of vegetal inspiration and its astonishing spiral staircase leading to its cupola. But if you look closely at the facades of some of these baroque buildings, you will notice that in addition to the traditional Christian imagery, there are also clear pagan references to the local traditions. This is what is called mixed baroque, an astonishing syncretism found in the Basilica de la Virgen de la Candelaria in Copacabana, whose immaculate white, enhanced by its rich domes covered with very baroque azulejos, is adorned with a representation of the Virgin with the features of an Inca princess. Same superb mixture in the Basilica of San Francisco de La Paz. See how angels and saints rub shoulders with the Pachamama, the great goddess of the earth, and the coca chewers on its richly decorated façade. This syncretism will find its peak in the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, six "Indian reductions", meaning facilities for Christianized Indians, were built by Jesuit fathers who wanted to establish "republics of God", ideal cities based on equality and mutual aid. This is why the Jesuits worked closely with the Chiquitos. The latter developed a superb woodworking industry. The mission is organized around a large rectangular square bordered on three sides by buildings dedicated to the Indians, the fourth side being reserved for workshops, the school and especially the church. These churches, most of them built by the Swiss architect Martin Schmid, follow almost the same model: a wooden frame supporting a gable roof, an interior structure with three naves delimited by wooden columns and two exterior galleries surrounding the building and themselves supported by columns. The latter, as well as the balustrades, altars and sculptures, are evidence of the Chiquitos' skill in carving wood. Among the most beautiful are those of San Rafael, San Miguel and San Javier.
Modern and contemporary architecture
After the abundant baroque that was inseparable from the colonial period, the young Republic chose the neoclassical style with sober lines. Friezes and cornices appeared on the facades of theaters, starting with the Teatro Municipal Alberto Saavedra Pérez de La Paz and the Teatro Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho de Sucre. Then gradually, this sobriety will give way to an astonishing eclecticism, mixing all possible styles. The most unusual representatives of this eclecticism are the Castillo de la Glorieta, where a residence with the appearance of a Florentine palace tinged with Byzantine influences, a portico with typically Arabian poly-lobed arches, a Gothic chapel, a high bulbous minaret and a tower with the appearance of a romantic ruin are all mixed together... quite a program! Another amazing building not to be missed, the Palacio Portales in Cochabamba realized by Eugène Bliault, an architect from... Le Havre! The same explosive mix at the Casa de Dora and the Castillo Azul, which also have the particularity of having Art Nouveau elements. On the facade of the houses, metallic bow windows also appear, while some interiors are covered with beautiful glass windows, like the one in the Museo del Tesoro in Sucre, which is said to have been designed by a certain... Gustave Eiffel.
The 1950s and 1960s saw the advent of rationalist architecture, which resulted in buildings with simple concrete volumes. These years were also accompanied by a renewal of urban planning. Unlike many cities that grew up without a real plan, Santa Cruz de la Sierra was the object of a rational planning. The modern city is divided into eight successive rings around the old city. The first ring gathers the economic and administrative functions, the following ones shelter the residential zones. The whole is punctuated by numerous green spaces. An amazing model at such an altitude! In the 1970s, architect Hans Roth launched a major restoration campaign of the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos, while perpetuating the tradition of this mixed-race architecture through modern structures, such as the beautiful chapel of Chochis where tropical woods dominate.
More recently, it is the realizations of the architect Freddy Mamani Silvestre which put a spotlight on Bolivia, and on El Alto in particular. Of Aymara origin, the architect has developed a neo-Andin style inspired by traditional textiles, geometric forms of pre-Columbian sites and motifs borrowed from pagan cults (butterflies, snakes, condors...). El Alto now shines with the shimmering colors of its " Cholets ". Contraction of chalet and cholo (pejorative term to indicate the Bolivians of indigenous origin), these buildings celebrate the cultural (and monetary!) wealth of the Aymara traders. On the first floor, these buildings house stores. On thefirst andsecond floors is a large ballroom, intended to host folkloric and cultural activities. The upper floors are used for housing, the highest of which, the "cholet", is reserved for the owner. Some of the "Cholets" built by Freddy Mamani Silvestre can reach a million dollars... but the different spaces can be rented out, so the owner quickly made his investment profitable!
Vernacular riches
On the lake Titicaca, the Uros people conceived astonishing islands of reeds, notably of reed totora which grows in abundance on the banks of the lake. To obtain a dry ground on which to build their houses (of reeds also!), the Uros superimpose a multitude of layers. The island thus formed is "lashed" via long poles sunk into the ground of the lake. The Chipayas, them, are famous for their round houses. The initial circular structure is made with hoops of tepe (a mixture of mud and roots) tied with rope and reinforced with a wooden frame. The thatched and conical roof is secured with straw ropes to resist the strong winds of the Altiplano. Also, the houses have only one door facing east to prevent the wind from blowing in. In the agricultural areas, the Chipayas opt for houses that look like beehives, because they are built with exposed peat blocks. In the mountainous zones, the Quechuas protect their houses by a wall which can reach 2,5 m of height. These houses are built with adobe or rough stones assembled with mortar, some of them are then covered with plaster, while others leave the rough materials visible. The thatched roof is laid on a frame of rush. The floor, as for him, is most often of beaten earth. The Guarani Indians, as well as many Amerindian peoples of the tropics, opt for simple structures made with sticks of a very strong local wood tied together in such a way as to obtain a very compact structure, whose interstices are filled with mud. The roofs are usually made of dried palm leaves. The habitat of the Ayoreos-Totobiegosode is even more simple. Isolated in very remote areas, in the middle of the forest, they establish large communal houses, with a central wooden pillar supporting the dome-shaped structure, the roof being made of dried mud. But this structure is only used in rainy weather. Other vernacular treasures include the houses of the Tarabucos Indians, not far from Sucre, largely inspired by Spanish models with their adobe walls and roofs covered with red clay shingles, or the pahuichis of Santa Cruz, ephemeral and easy to build dwellings made of woven palm leaves placed on a wooden frame with a gable, and with a gallery on the front façade Restaurants and sports clubs often occupy these structures! Today, this habitat is at the center of a booming ecotourism. Numerous ecolodges are being built, using local and natural materials, in wooden bungalows with palm roofs. Their particularity? They are entirely managed by the indigenous people. Among the most popular, don't miss: the Chalalan Ecolodge, the Tomarapi Ecolodge and the San Miguel de Bala Ecolodge.
