The coca leaf is perhaps the most indelible symbol of Bolivia: iconic, recognizable, simple. But within its image lies millennia of history and unknown depths of energy and power. Cultivated in the Andes since at least the period of the Tiwanaku – predating the Inca Empire – the coca plant has been employed for a variety of uses, including as a stimulant, an appetite suppressant and as an anesthetic. It is prepared as a tea, applied to wounds and most famously chewed in the mouths of workers of all walks of life here.
Playing such a key role in many societies over centuries, coca is venerated as a sacred plant, and has purpose beyond its biological and medical uses. Yatiris, or shamen, incorporate coca leaves into their practices in many ways. They are spread around in sacred ceremonies and ch’allas, or blessings. Yatiris ‘read’ coca leaves to tell the fortunes of believers. And the leaf is reduced to its essence to make extracts.
It is no wonder that the coca leaf plays a special role in Bolivia’s spiritual, social and economic spheres. It has driven civilizations to greatness, and has enlivened the spirits of their countless inhabitants, as it does today. At the core of this importance is the leaf’s ability to store and give life to those who engage with it. In Bolivia, the coca leaf is more than a symbol, it is the single most potent giver of enduring vitality.
The spirit of the coca leaf resides in many corners of Bolivian society. Similar energising forces which enliven the spirit and bring people together, can be found in other facets of day-to-day Bolivian life. In this issue of Bolivian Express, we explore vitality through the stories of people filled with power and life, from Aymara cholitas scaling the heights of Bolivia’s highest mountains to dancers taking their improvisational movements to the street. La Paz’s famous zebras show us ways to imbue city streets with positive energy, and Korean immigrants and volunteers tell us how they are becoming part of Bolivian society to do good works. We celebrate big advances made for Bolivia’s transgendered community, we also learn about objects and foods filled with the powers to enliven, including Bolivian spirits and the variety of items, old and new, sold at La Paz’s famous Witches Market. Bolivia is known for a number of ‘superfoods’, and we explore their local origins and uses to provide healthy sustenance to people here and abroad. And we dive into the collective national promotion of Vivir Bien, or ‘Living Well’, an abstract idea turning into a tangible, measurable metric for creating and maintaining balance and wellbeing for all of Bolivia’s citizens.
Bolivia is a place with its own kind of energy, its own vibrance. As is the case with every issue of this magazine, here we offer stories that show this beauty in many different ways. We want to show you, the reader, that the same enduring spirit that inhabits the coca leaf also resides in the people, places and things that call this country home. And we hope that you see Bolivia as a place that can be described as, above all, vital.
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Amazonian Superfoods Are Spicing Up the Menu and Healing the Body
Myriad stalls fill Plaza Avaroa on this bright Thursday morning as vendors look to promote their business on this unique market day for young and growing businesses. As the intense La Paz sun beams down on the streams on passers-by and the air fills with a cacophony of voices and blaring music, I stop to find Marisa Quito setting up her stall surrounded by posters of exotic fruits. Intrigued, I ask her to tell me a bit about her business. She tells me that she travels around Bolivia’s three major commercial cities, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, promoting these Amazonian foods on behalf of Madre Tierra, a company based in Riberalta, at the heart of the Bolivian Amazon. Madre Tierra works with local Amazon communities to collect, produce and commercialize the superfoods that sustain life in Alto Beni.
Açaí
Euterpe precatoria
Acai bowls, smoothies
With the highest content of antioxidants of any known food and packed with fibre, amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, açaí is the undisputed king of Amazon superfoods. Sourced from palm trees in the local communities of Alto Beni, the pulp of the small purple berry is often described as tasting like a rich blueberry or raspberry with overtones of dark chocolate.
The antioxidants within the berry, anthocyanins, improve heart health, lower cholesterol and increase blood circulation. Among its many other benefits, açaí has remarkable energizing effects, combats ageing, boosts the immune system, helps promote a healthy digestive system and, some claim, increases sexual drive and performance!
Cupuaçu
Theobroma grandiflorum
Juices, ice cream, liquor, baked goods, dairy products, jams
‘Big cacao’ in the tupi language (cupu – cacao, azu – big), cupuaçu’s creamy, white pulp is a kind of crossbreed between pineapple and chocolate. The pulp is rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and it contains pectin, a soluble fibre beneficial for the digestive system. Additionally, butter is extracted from cupuaçu seeds and used in cosmetics to hydrate, repair and protect skin. With the popularity and production scale booming in recent years, cupuaçu has transformed into one the of the main source of economic development in Alto Beni.
Castana Amazonica (Brazil nut)
Bertholletia excelsa
Eaten whole or in a variety of dishes
Despite its name, Bolivia is in fact the world’s greatest producer of the Brazil nut, accounting for around 70 percent of the world’s market. Indeed the production of this unique nut is the economic pillar of life in Alto Beni. While the Brazil nut contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, what sets it apart from its nutty cousins and makes it a verifiable superfood is its unprecedented levels of selenium, an antioxidant which has been shown to reduce the risk of artery disease, liver cirrhosis and certain cancers.
Majo
Oenocarpus bataua
Juices, smoothies, ice cream, jams
The least well-known of our Amazon superfoods, the pulp of majo, from which both oil and majo ‘milk’ (or wine) can be extracted, is rich in fats, protein, amino acids and antioxidants. With a protein content of 7.4 percent, its milk, similar in taste to the pulp of acai, is typically drunk by local communities as an alternative to cow’s milk, while the oil, similar to olive oil, is used both for cooking and in cosmetics due to its high antioxidant content.
Ayawasqa is the new line of fashion accessories from Amancaya Rivera, who works to bring forth the natural heritage of Bolivia through ancestral textiles and designs.
www.ayawasqa.com
+591 71538188
Photo: Ivan Rodriguez
Modelo: Amancaya Rivera
It is life, it is birth, it is a drop, it is a torrent, it is mist, it is dew, it is clear, it is muddy, it is pure, it is polluted, it is stagnant, it is rapid, it is dripping, it is flowing, it is blue, it is green, it is purple, it is brown, it is turquoise, it is yellow, it is white, it is a commodity, it is scarce, it is survival, it is abundance, it is our planet earth... it is vitality.
