On December 7, 2014, our city of La Paz, Bolivia, was named one of the Seven New Urban Wonders of the World by the New7Wonders Foundation of Switzerland. The global competition was a combination of expert judging and popular voting, and remains a great badge of honor for the people of La Paz. Though most residents and visitors certainly don’t need such a distinction to appreciate this amazing place, it was really the long, drawn-out effort of paceños and other Bolivians to launch and drive a global campaign that brought the city to the top of a list of 1,200 entries.
In winning this distinction, La Paz has joined six other cities around the world that offer their own unique attributes and distinct flair. Today La Paz stands beside the modern megaprojects and glossy architectures of Doha, Qatar; the mixing of the old and the new in the ‘Paris of the Mediterranean’, Beirut, Lebanon; the bustling ports and promenades of Durban, South Africa; the preserved, cigar-smoke-stained old quarters of Havana, Cuba; the mass flows of people below the towers of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the quaint colonial streets of tiny Vigan, Philippines.
To all these winning cities, La Paz sends a heartfelt ‘felicidades’ for achieving such a prestigious recognition for all the work you and your citizens have done to showcase the beauty and intrigue of your respective homes. The people of La Paz are honored to be amongst such impressive locales as we all share the global stage in showing off the wonders of our cities.
July 16 is an important day for our city. It commemorates the 1809 mestizo revolt against the Spanish, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo. This event, in which paceños ousted the governor and the bishop of La Paz during celebrations of the Virgen del Carmen, helped launch the years-long struggle for independence of Upper Peru, what is now Bolivia. This year, the city of La Paz is commemorating this day with nearly a week’s worth of cultural activities and celebrations. And our place as one of the world’s Seven Wonder Cities is taking center stage.
Paceños know this city deserves this global recognition. In the areas of culture, people, topography, history, food, heritage and urbanism, residents here have a lot to be proud of. So in this issue of Bolivian Express, we explored these themes as a way to showcase the amazing things La Paz has to offer its citizens and the world. With our writers from many corners of the globe, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria and Australia, we hope their visitors’ points of view provide new ways to see our city that will both enchant travelers passing through and enlighten the city’s residents to new perspectives on what makes La Paz so amazing.
So again, we raise our glass in congratulations to our fellow Wonder Cities, and encourage visitors and residents alike to join us as we offer our top reasons why La Paz is, without a doubt, a Ciudad Maravillosa!
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Photo: Valeria Wilde
The sitting room, with family portraits,glass cabinet of antiquedishes and old round tablewith crocheted tablecloth, feltdemure and quiet at first. Suddenly itwakes up with the firm strumming of thecharango accompanied by lively lyrics.Dressed in a tight white shirt, large beltbuckle and dark jeans, his jet-blackhair falling on his shoulders, Saxomancloses his eyes and delves deeper intothe song. He sings of his grandmother,recently passed away. The lyrics ‘I lovemy mamá so much’ are uncomplicatedbut genuine. This Latino cowboy isthe talented and well-loved Bolivianartist Americo Estevez Roman, betterknown as Saxoman.Born in La Paz in 1971, Americo is froma family of musicians. His uncle wrotethe famous song ‘Collita’ about hiswife in 1950s. Americo started playingdrums in a band, Los Casanovas, withhis uncles. Experimenting with differentinstruments, he eventually playedthe saxophone on the street to makea little money to support his family. Hewas spotted and featured by the TV program Gigavision. The director of the show jokingly calledhim Saxoman, and the name stuck.Saxoman stops singing and launches into an explanationabout how he learnt to play the charango. He wanted to createa Youtube video to welcome Pope Francis to Bolivia.‘But who was going to play the charango for me?’ he askedhimself. ‘I don’t know how to play the charango! I’ve neverplayed it in my life!’Saxoman couldn’t find any volunteers, but a friend offeredto loan him a charango – for only an hour. ‘“One hour?!” Isaid, “Okay that’s fine.”’ He learnt how to play the instrumentin 20 intense minutes.Saxoman’s pope video embodies his determination. Experimental,humourous and enticing, it brings a smile towhoever watches it. One minute Saxoman is playing thecharango with Bolivian President Morales’s face in the cornerof the screen, the next he is flying through the universe.Saxoman describes this style as slow rock, highlighting hischarango playing and his son Gabriel on the drums. He sayshe made lots of friends through the video. Impressively, itwas all shot on an old phone.Through his videos, Saxoman offers an insight into his fantasticalworld of Bolivia. He is no doubt a proud paceño, asseen by his video entitled ‘La Paz Ciudad Turistica’, sungwith the backdrop of the city at night. Thousands of lightstwinkling in the background give a sense of the expansivenessand vibrancy of the city. Saxoman sings of the majesticIllimani, the iconic mountain that towers over the city.Saxoman and his sons, who form a new iteration of LosCasanovas, simply play together on a balcony. The songbegins with drums accompanying an Andean flute, turninginto slow rock that also ties in different Bolivian musicalstyles. Eventually, Saxoman hitches his guitar over hisshoulder for an impressive solo.Saxoman’s passion for music is unparalleled. He states, ‘Ifall in love every day,’ and it is this love that inspires him towrite his songs.Saxoman is 45 years old, ‘with the soul of a child,’ he adds.Every child’s fantasy is to be a superhero, and so Saxomanand his band portray themselves as fictitious characterswho carry and play their instruments as deadly weapons tobattle the bad guys. Saxoman doesn’t make much moneyfrom his music; his only income is from busking. Despitehis increasing fame, he wants to stay true to himself andhis roots. He’s been featured on Bolivian TV, including LaRevista, and in the newspaper La Razón. Despite this, hismain goal is to entertain kids and adults alike, whilst simultaneouslymaking his wildest dreams become a reality. Nomatter how great his future fame, Saxoman says he’ll continueto play music for the people on the streets in the BarrioChino, Miraflores and Zona Sur districts of La Paz.Not only is Saxoman a people’s man, but he is a man of theBolivian people. Vibrant, exciting and determined, he perfectlyrepresents La Paz and its inhabitants. Through hismusic, Saxoman shares his paceño spirit with the rest ofthe world. He entertains with all that he enjoys and is fascinatedby, be it superheroes, magic and even Smurfs.His music invites you to view life as he does, in a uniqueand exciting way
