Bolivia Travel - La Paz - The City in the Sky

Have you ever wondered what it is like to go shoppingbiggest export is tin.
at 3660 meters above sea level? La Paz is the placeAs the city grows, it gets higher climbing up the
to come, being nestled in the Bolivian Andean mountainsurrounding mountains to expand. Interestingly higher
range La Paz in the highest city in world.land is cheaper than lower land, with the upper classes
While most first time visitors take a few hours toliving lower than the higher.
adjust to the height, La Paz's residents have adjustedLa Paz is a key stop for tourists while exploring the
and can perform their daily life routines with noAndean mountain range. Being close to Lake Titicaca,
problems. The city is not a favorite for internationalLa Paz attracted visitors that have travelled to Puno
football tournaments as it takes international playersand onward to Cusco for the Inca trail. La Paz though
some time to adjust, but makes for an interestinghas a number of tourist attractions of its own that
game of football.wows its visitors.
Bolivia is one of the most indigenous nations in SouthFantastic views can be found over the city from the
America, with a big Aymara influence in the form ofmany vistas around the city, seeing the urban sprawl
clothes, music, food and of course festivals.with mountains dotting the landscape is a unique sight.
La Paz was founded in 1548 by the Spanish as a stopReligion was a large part of colonial life in Bolivia, like
off between the surrounding mining towns and Limamany nations in the region and so the grand San
where products would be exported to Spain.Francisco Cathedral was constructed. The Cathedral
However, it did not become the Capital of Bolivia untildates back to 1549 and is one of the finest examples
1898, which further fuelled the cities development.of colonial religious architecture in South America.
Bolivia, like most Latin American countries had anVisitors can also go to the Mercado de Hechiceria
export led economy and so it developed infrastructure(Witches Market), where you can see items that locals
to stimulate export use. The construction of theuse to protect themselves against evil spirits.
railway system, linking city with the Pacific and AtlanticOne of the most well known sites in the city is visible
coast cemented the cities position as a regional tradefrom the Killi Killi watch tower, which is in the southern
hub, bringing further prosperity to the City of La Paz.part of the city. From here you can see the interesting
This is still the case today with the nation holding highgeological shapes and illusions of the Moon Valley.
levels of oil and mineral reserves. One of the country's