Culture of Bolivia
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Bolivia is a country in South America located at the Andes mountains. It has a significant Native American population which mixed Spanish cultural elements with their ancestors' traditions. The Spanish-speaking population mainly follows the Western customs.
The cultural development of what is present-day Bolivia is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, and weavings remain from several important pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Iskanwaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and hardly explored by archaeologists.
The Spanish brought their own tradition of religious art which, in the hands of local indigenous and mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, painting, and sculpture known as "Mestizo Baroque." The colonial period produced not only the paintings of Perez de Holguin, Flores, Bitti, and others but also the works of skilled, but unknown, stonecutters, woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths. An important body of native baroque religious music of the colonial period was recovered in recent years and has been performed internationally to wide acclaim since 1994. Bolivian artists of stature in the 20th century include, among others, Guzman de Rojas, Arturo Borda, Maria Luisa Pacheco, and Marina Nunez del Prado.
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[edit] Festivals
Pagan rites from the pre-Columbian era are still common during the religious festivals of the Indians. The clothing used during the festivals reminds the visitor of the pre-Columbian Indians and the 16th century Spaniards. The devil dances at the annual carnival of Oruro are amongst the great folkloric events of South America, as is the lesser known carnival at Tarabuco.
[edit] Dances
Many dances and songs contain elements from both the native and the Mediterranean culture; obviously they suffered a strong Spanish influence during colonial times.
[edit] Clothing
It is fashionable among Bolivian Andean women of indigenous descent wear a skirt called a pollera. It was originally a Spanish peasant skirt that the colonial authorities forced the indigenous women to wear. Now it is also a symbol of pride in being indigenous and is also considered a status symbol.
Another fashion is the bowler hat, which was adopted from the British. The position of the hat can indicate a woman's marital status and aspirations.
[edit] Music
Bolivia's regional folk music is distinctive and varied. In the Andean regions music is played during the festivals and the dances. Some tunes contain strong Spanish influences.
The most common musical instruments are:
- sicu (also "sicus") or zampoña
- quena
- tarka or tharqa
- pinkillo
- skin drums
- bronze gongs
- copper bells
- charango: Has five pairs of strings and looks like a small guitar. Traditionally it was made from the shells of armadillos, but today it is mostly made of wood.
[edit] Writers
- Nataniel Aguirre
- Oscar Alfaro
- Alcides Arguedas
- Alcira Cardona
- Oscar Cerruto
- Adolfo Costa Du Rels
- Antonio Díaz Villamil
- Javier del Granado
- Augusto Guzmán
- Luis Huáscar Antezana
- Ricardo Jaimes Freire
- Jesús Lara
- Juan Claudio Lechín Weisse
- Gonzalo Lema
- Asunta Limpias de Parada
- Carlos Medinaceli
- Jaime Mendoza
- Wolfango Montes Vanucci
- Gabriel René Moreno
- María Josefa Mujia
- Gustavo Navarro
- Gustavo Adolfo Otero
- Natalia Palacios
- Edmundo Paz Soldán
- Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz
- Fausto Reinaga
- Ramón Rocha Monroy
- Jaime Saenz
- Pedro Shimose
- Francis Schwitzgebel Torres
- Gastón Suárez
- Franz Tamayo
- Jesus Urzagasti
- Juan Wallparrimachi
- Blanca Wietchüchter
- Adela Zamudio
Garretto da Besto Source: [1]
[edit] Books
- Culture Shock! Bolivia, ISBN 1-55868-640-1
[edit] External links
- Culture of Bolivia (languagecrossing.com)
- Languages spoken in Bolivia
- Culture of the Andes
- Fotos of the indigenous people, traditional dances etc
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