Every one of us lives bound by nature. Modern medicine may seem to heal quicker, but natural medicine is still the most pure. It heals slowly but lasts forever!

Travellers only usually encounter Bolivia's traditional medicine wares at the Mercado de Hechicería, or the Witches' Market, near Plaza San Francisco in La Paz. The stalls lining Calle Lineras are heavily laden with a cornucopia of ritual items, including dried llama fetuses and various boxed herbal remedies used to treat everything from rheumatism to stomach pain. However, traditional indigenous medicine in Bolivia dates back millennia, extending far beyond the tourist-laden confines of the Witches' Market.

Travellers only usually encounter Bolivia's traditional medicine wares at the Mercado de Hechicería, or the Witches' Market, near Plaza San Francisco in La Paz. The stalls lining Calle Lineras are heavily laden with a cornucopia of ritual items, including dried llama fetuses and various boxed herbal remedies used to treat everything from rheumatism to stomach pain. However, traditional indigenous medicine in Bolivia dates back millennia, extending far beyond the tourist-laden confines of the Witches' Market.

The Kallawaya, a nomadic group of Andean healers, have a cosmovision that incorporates ancestral medical techniques with a view of humankind and its place in the universe, grounded on devotion to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth. The members of this indigenous ethnic group, based in the mountains north of La Paz, were the official doctors of the greater Inca state. Their privileged position continued through the Spanish conquest, as the foreign invaders respected their healing skills and medical knowledge.

The Kallawaya use animal and mineral resources to heal, as well as plants, talismans, good-luck charms, and music therapy. Dr. Walter Álvarez Quispe, a fully trained modern medical doctor, is also the executive director of INBOMETRAKA (the Bolivian Institute for Traditional Kallawaya Medicine) and a Kallawaya with years of healing experience. He says that a Kallawaya can diagnose someone by studying the patient's eyes and hands. In addition to addressing a patient's physiological symptoms, a Kallawaya will also treat psychological and social ailments and the environment, including animals, plants, and the patient's home.

The Quechua and Aymara people of the Andes see themselves as inhabiting a supernatural universe in which all natural entities—from people and animals to plants, mountains, and the earth itself— are powerful spiritual beings intertwined in a complex network of mutual obligation. 'Every one of us lives bound by nature', says Dr. Quispe. 'Modern medicine may seem to heal quicker, but natural medicine is still the most pure. It heals slowly but lasts forever.'

The Kallawaya distinguish themselves from other Andean ethnic groups by their constant travelling. From their isolated homeland of Bautista Saavedra, north of La Paz, the Kallawaya have ventured all over Bolivia and into parts of Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador, even as far as Panama. With their chuspa— colourful woven medicine bags— and the blessing of the gods to protect them on their journey, they set off on ancient Inca trails to treat those in need. Bolivia, with its high altitude, rugged landscape, and isolated areas of human settlement, offers a unique topography and widely varying ecosystems from which Kallawaya healers have been able to extend their considerable knowledge of medicinal plants. With some 980 plant species in the Kallawaya pharmacopeia, it rates as one of the most bountiful in the world.

From the age of four, young Kallawaya learn about plants at home. At 13, they begin to help in the preparation of medicines and remedies and, shortly after, they start travelling, taking their prepared medicines with them and learning different languages along the way. Young Kallawaya are always accompanied by older, more experienced mentors, who teach them and guide them along the way. Between the ages of 23 and 25, these young Kallawaya are tested, and, once certified in the healing arts, they can teach and pass on their knowledge to others.

Dr. Quispe travelled from the age of 13 until he was 22, when he started to study modern biomedicine. 'Since a child, I was obliged to be a Kallawaya because my grandfather and greatgrandfather were also Kallawaya healers', he says. 'First I am a Kallawaya, and then a [modern] medical specialist.'

Kallawaya women—K'awayus—also teach the children, and they participate in a number of rites, weave textiles, and act as midwives, caring for pregnant women and babies.

Until quite recently, centuries of repression— by both the church and state— drove the Kallawaya's healing arts underground. For years, the Bolivian government wouldn't allow the formation of traditional medicine institutions. Only trained doctors and biomedics were allowed to practise medicine, while traditional medicine was considered witchcraft and healers were imprisoned for practising it. However, the legacy of traditional medicine continued throughout those dark days, especially in Bolivia's isolated rural communities, where patients were treated clandestinely.

In 1984, traditional medicine was officially recognised in Bolivia and a governmental ministry of traditional medicine was formed. And in 1987, traditional medicine supporters were able to gain passage of a law that led to the creation of INBOMETRAKA.

In 2003, UNESCO declared the Kallawaya cosmovision as an 'oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity.' This award created public recognition of the value of Kallawaya knowledge and their worldview. But with rapid urbanisation and a population shift toward Bolivia's cities, modern medicine is increasingly in use, and the Kallawaya are slowly diminishing in number as fewer of their sons learn the traditional skills.

Still, in remote areas throughout Bolivia, when someone becomes ill, he or she will likely turn to traditional medicine. In fact, according to Carmen Beatriz Loza, the research director of INBOMETRAKA, 80 percent of Bolivians have called on a natural healer at some point in their lives, and 40 percent of Bolivians practise only traditional medicine. The reason is a practical one: traditional remedies are affordable; modern medicine is not. A typical Kallawaya prescription may be the preparation of a mate infusion made from plants that a farmer most likely already grows on his land. But even more importantly, the Kallawaya visit their patients' homes. Rural villages rarely have their own doctors or nurses, and travelling miles into a city is rarely possible for a poor campesino. For now, despite a decline in Kallawaya practitioners, their services are still in much demand.

But even small villages are becoming increasingly connected to far-away places and ideas, and very soon acculturation of the patients will be another threat to the Kallawaya tradition. And that's where INBOMETRAKA sees its mission: 'We must work to bring back the neglected knowledge of traditional Andean and Amazonian medicine to the service of public health', says Ms. Loza.

As Dr. Quispe says, 'It is not just medicine, it's a way of life.'

A selection of interviews documenting the Alasita fair as lived by pacenos.

Name: Teresa Ticona de Pizarro
Age: 52
Occupation: Artisan selling toy cars

I have been an artisan at Alasita for 20 years. I keep coming back because I love the idea of buying for the desire of having. Unfortunately, I have to sleep in the stand because I'm scared that someone will break in and steal all my car models. I sell meat during the other times of the year. My favourite drink here is Batido.

Name: Andrea Vera
Age: 11
Occupation: Student, 6th grade

I have been coming to Alasita with my sister for 4 years. I love everything about the festival, especially the miniatures. I can't wait to buy bags and bags of money, and a suitcase for travel because it definitely works.

Name: Teodora Sillo
Age: 60
Occupation: Housewife

I love everything about Alasita. I've been coming for 10 years now and I don't plan on stopping. I'm going to buy a house and a car this year.

Name: Christian Quispe
Age: 18
Occupation: Student, 12th grade

This is my second year working at Alasita, but I have been taking part in the festival since I was a kid. I work the futbolín station because it was always my favourite game at Alasita. I may buy some miniatures this year, but I always spend money on the games so I get a lot of surprise prizes. I like the surprise prize carts because I got these wristbands from them.

Name: Fabricio Barrientos
Age: 20
Occupation: University Student - studying Engineering

I have been coming to Alasita ever since I can remember, but this year I am going to buy my university degree in Engineering and a license to practice. I really enjoy the miniatures and decided to make this model ship.

Name: Iba Delgado Arana
Age: 57
Occupation: Cook

My earilest memories of Alasita are from when I was 15 years old when I would come with my friends. Now I get to experience it every year because I come to cook. My specialty is Fritanga, and the mayor even awarded me a prize for this dish. I also love to make Plato Paceño, a festival trademark. I am going to buy some more kitchen items and some miniature food stuff because I love to cook.

As a lover of food, I have tried some of the best (and worst) of market stall food from a variety of countries. At best it is delicious and authentic, giving a peek at life behind the tourist façade; at its worst it’s a food poisoning nightmare. My visit to the Alistara market, a fusion of traditional Andean food and modern treads, however, did not disappoint.

A breakfast of api and pastel

Bolivia has over two thousand varieties of corn, and these are made use of in the typical Andean drink api. Best described as a warm thick smoothie, this drink lacks the over sweetened sickliness that is present in many of its counterparts. It is usually accompanied by a pastel, a type of pastry bread sprinkled with icing sugar - buttery golden goodness to start your day. At a price of a mere eight bolivianos for both, there's little excuse not to indulge in this tasty breakfast all day long!

9/10 in both attractiveness and taste

Plato paceño

A plate piled full of carbohydrates designed to beat the cold Andean weather, consisting of corn, lima beans, potatoes, cheese, and, non-traditionally in my case, beef. Although the sight of so much food on one plate was slightly overwhelming (even when shared between two), the variety made for an interesting meal. Initially a bit disappointed by the corn, I was quickly informed that the idea was to eat it in combination with the fried cheese. The addition of the cheese completely changed my perceptions, creating a salty, chewy, more-ish taste. The non-traditional beef was, however, the highlight; thinly cut with a vague hint of spice the steak was tender and delicious!

6/10 in attractiveness and 7/10 in taste

Churro

This fried doughy pastry snack differs a little to its Spanish relative in its appearance, but retains all the sugary loveliness that churros should possess. Even after having eaten your body weight in food, this treat is hard to resist. The fact that is it served in a paper bag drenched in icing sugar only adds to its appeal; this snack is a favourite in the Alasita market for tourists and Bolivians alike.

9/10 in both attractiveness and taste

Fritanga

A thick, slightly spicy, pork stew made with tomatoes and onions, normally accompanied by corn and potatoes. However, unlike the carb-heavy plato paceño, the fritanga is centred around its meat of choice: pork. In fact the amount of meat that makes up this dish makes it well worth the 25 bolivianos you can expect to pay in any stall around Alasita, as well as being a tasty and unique dish.

9/10 in value for money

The final judgement

In a world full of chain burger restaurants, people could use a little more Alasita food in their diet. Homemade, unpretentious, and quite frankly a bargain, I will be heading back there for dinner as soon as possible to sample a few of the many more dishes Alasita has to offer.