A state-sponsored project in Bolivia is aiming to use urban art to capture some of the rich traditions of indigenous culture and turn an area into a tourist attraction.
The project involves adorning homes with murals and was carried out by residents of a poor neighborhood who have sought inspiration from Andean textiles.
Click to Gallery
A state-sponsored project in Bolivia is aiming to use urban art to capture some of the rich traditions of indigenous culture and turn an area into a tourist attraction.
"When we wake up in the morning, we now see colors. We no longer see the adobe or brick. I love my view," said Tomasa Gutiérrez, who heads the Chaulluma neighborhood council. She stood in front of a mural that read "Libertad" — Spanish for "Liberty" — and included paintings of "cholitas" indigenous women wearing the traditional billowing skirts, embroidered shawls and bowler hats.
The high-altitude exercise leads to a majestic view of the snow-capped Illimani peak that towers over the mountain-locked Bolivian capital. Less ambitious visitors can ride a cable car that connects La Paz to its sister city of El Alto.
The project director, urban artist Knorke Leaf, said the murals seek to "bring joy" and attract tourists by showcasing the personality of Chaulluma's people, who are mainly artisans and vendors who migrated to the neighborhood from the countryside.
In this May 31, 2019 photo, an urban artist paints a mural featuring an Aymara woman vendor in the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. The state-sponsored project aims to use urban art to capture some of the rich traditions of Bolivia's indigenous culture and turn the area into a tourist attraction. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
In this May 31, 2019 photo, urban artist Knorke Leaf walks near her mural depicting the Morenada dance, in the hillside Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Leaf said the neighborhood murals seek to "bring joy" and attract tourists by showcasing the personality of Chaulluma's people, who are mainly artisans and vendors who migrated to the neighborhood from the countryside. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
Images now include indigenous Aymara women selling produce and spices in the streets, hummingbirds taking flight and multicolored geometrical shapes on what once were plain adobe and brick walls on a hillside of Bolivia's capital.
This May 31, 2019 photo shows spray paint cans used to convert plain adobe and brick walls into colorful murals, in the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Residents-turned-painters are guided by four urban artists in a state-sponsored mural project called "Mi Qhatu", or "market" in Aymara. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
"When we wake up in the morning, we now see colors. We no longer see the adobe or brick. I love my view," said Tomasa Gutiérrez, who heads the Chaulluma neighborhood council. She stood in front of a mural that read "Libertad" — Spanish for "Liberty" — and included paintings of "cholitas" indigenous women wearing the traditional billowing skirts, embroidered shawls and bowler hats.
"We've decided that our homes should show who we are, our customs, our culture," she said.
Chaulluma is located about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) above sea level and it's reached by a steep staircase known ominously as "The 1,000 steps."
This May 31, 2019 photo shows a view from a cable car of the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Images of indigenous Aymara women selling produce and spices in the streets, hummingbirds taking flight and multicolored geometrical shapes burst from what once were plain adobe and brick walls on this hillside of Bolivia's capital. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
The high-altitude exercise leads to a majestic view of the snow-capped Illimani peak that towers over the mountain-locked Bolivian capital. Less ambitious visitors can ride a cable car that connects La Paz to its sister city of El Alto.
The $4.5 million mural project called "Mi Qhatu" — "market" in Aymara — includes about 160 homes and is based on an initiative in Mexico's Hidalgo state, said Pablo Balanza, the coordinator of the National Fund for Productive and Social Investment.
The residents-turned-painters are guided by four urban artists and about 50 masons who have also made home renovations, including strengthening once-crumbling walls.
In this May 31, 2019 photo, a worker hauls debris in the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Residents of a poor neighborhood of the Bolivian capital decorate their humble homes by painting their walls with murals that depict indigenous Aymara women selling produce in the streets, hummingbirds and other colorful images that stand out from the red brick huts. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
The project director, urban artist Knorke Leaf, said the murals seek to "bring joy" and attract tourists by showcasing the personality of Chaulluma's people, who are mainly artisans and vendors who migrated to the neighborhood from the countryside.
"They painted my little home," said Eusebia Huanca, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. "They brought joy to me."
This May 31, 2019 photo shows the facade of homes painted with colorful geometric designs in the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Residents, artists and masons are part of a $4.5 million mural project called "Mi Qhatu", "market" in Aymara, that includes about 160 homes in the Chualluma neighborhood (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
In this May 31, 2019 photo, an urban artist paints a mural featuring an Aymara woman vendor in the Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. The state-sponsored project aims to use urban art to capture some of the rich traditions of Bolivia's indigenous culture and turn the area into a tourist attraction. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
In this May 31, 2019 photo, urban artist Knorke Leaf walks near her mural depicting the Morenada dance, in the hillside Chualluma neighborhood, in La Paz, Bolivia. Leaf said the neighborhood murals seek to "bring joy" and attract tourists by showcasing the personality of Chaulluma's people, who are mainly artisans and vendors who migrated to the neighborhood from the countryside. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)