La Cancha 2012

If you are not versed in Spanish and you are looking at the opening photo, you may think that La Cancha has something to do with donkeys.  Or it could be a local or indigenous word for an animal.  In the dictionary cancha refers to a field or a ground, in sports a playing field or court. But here when one refers to La Cancha with capital letters, they are talking about the market place. 

I would think that the use of the word originated from the place that people would gather on market day, using the cobble stoned areas of the plaza or flattened playing fields.

I thought that these donkeys brought items to be sold at the market. It took much observation and a few well placed questions to find out that they are actually milked, and a small portion, maybe about a 1/3 to 1/2 a cup, costs twice what I pay for a liter of milk.  It is said to have medicinal or curative purposes.






















In Cochabamba La Cancha sprawls for 20 to 30 city blocks and overflows to the surrounding streets as people set up their wares on the sidewalks and gutters of the roads that lead to the market place. Above is one of the major roads early in the morning before the traffic jams start and before the street is strewn with trash.


                      

People set up their wares at the edge of the street.  It took a while to get this photo (what photo you say?? sorry to say but the program of blogger deleted it and after working on the post for hours I don't feel like uploading it again!! maybe some other day. The new format is a struggle to work with It was really a good pic.) as the transportation kept going by.The foreground is really a major street, the woman in the tan shawl is in the middle of an island, that is used for a bus stop. In front of her is the road too where the bus will stop at the handrails if someone wants to board.

The man above pushes a load.  In the early morning they help the vendors to bring their wares, produce and products to their "puestos" or their point of sale. During the day individuals may contract the men (I have yet to see a woman at this work) to help consolidate purchases and bring them to a bus or taxi to load up. Many guys nap right in their wheelbarrows during the afternoon lull.  At the end of the day they are contracted once more to help store unpurchased items until the next day.
You can buy anything in the cancha, and the reputation is that everything is cheaper. I have not found the cheaper part to be true. I have found many things there, but it can take a long time to find it. Things tend to be set up in groups for example veggie section, used clothes section, cleaning supplies, there is even a section just for potatoes and just for bananas.

If my shopping list is eggs, crackers, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, baking powder, laundry soap, T.P., pasta, toothpaste, milk and tuna, I need to go to 12 different sections. After walking about 10 blocks to the first item (actually tuna), I then walk 10-14 blocks more buying items on the way.  When I finish, I am about 12-16 blocks away from home and look for a bus to take me to within a block or so of my home. A bit more complicated then going to the supermarket, which I must admit exists here, but many things cost so much more that my food budget would quickly be used.

The parting shot is of another of the busiest roads in the cancha, abet early in the morning before traffic tries to cut it's way through the ever narrowing way, as the vendors inch their way to the center of the street.

Marcha September 2012

Hardly a week goes by in Bolivia without a "Marcha" of one type or another, (sometimes more than one). If people are not marching here in Cochabamba, they are marching somewhere else in the country. A march can be as short as one hour with a few dozen people, but it usually lasts for a hours or all day, with hundreds to thousands of people.  Marches are a part of everyday life here.

This year and last year there was a march that lasted for months and traversed hundreds of miles. Starting in the community of TIPNIS and ending in La Paz. The people passed from tropical zones over mountain passes over 12,600 ft in altitude. The people were/are protesting the building of a road through what would be equal to a National Park and a Native American Reservation combined as well as a wildlife preserve.  Woman carry their babies on their backs, and youngsters walk along.  Communities along the way help with food, water, clothing, and a place to sleep.  The people of La Paz welcomed the pilgrims with open arms and much support, unfortunately the military wasn't so welcoming, violent clashes ensued, the people barred from the main plaza, while they awaited an audience with the president.
One would need a blog just to cover marchas on a weekly basis to even begin to explain, let alone follow up any results from these protests. Even the culture of a march is far different then my experiences in the US. I have decided when I wanted to join a march, and of course permits and organization are a must. Plans, police, and peace keepers usually keep things running smoothly. Here many people can be forced to march because they would need to pay a fine if they didn't. For example there may be a march to increase salaries or provide another benefit for college professors. Every professor needs to march or pay a fine, even if you don't believe in what the march is about, you must do it or pay (up to a day's pay). Other cooperatives or unions may back the march, then force their employees to march too.

Marches cause many traffic problems in the cities. Blockades are another story, which obviously cause greater traffic problems, as well as people getting stuck for days or weeks somewhere, where the have no contacts or money.  Produce rots on trucks that get stuck between farm and market.  I haven't any pictures because I like my camera too much, and it would take another blog to cover blockades. A new march idea was to have them just at lunch (for two weeks straight) and then no one would miss work, though many would miss lunch, which is the major meal of the day.
A recent march pictured in the photos of this blog entry, came down the street near the Franciscan Center, so I went upstairs, grabbed my camera. The march was organized by a group of street vendors mostly "ambulante", those walking aroung with carts such as the woman in the above photo, with her salteña cart. Many street vendors set up for the day on the sidewalk or gutter and pay a fee daily for the right to sell their items from the spot. Honestly, exactly what they were protesting was beyond me, even after talking with a bystander, who has lived a few more decades then I have lived.

The final destination usually is the "Plaza Principal" where a rally or at least some speeches take place. Riot police are usually stationed around the plaza to guard governmental offices. Chants, singing, bullhorns, and firecrackers or fireworks are all part of a march. It sounds like gunfire and ear plugs would be a great thing to bring to any march!  Sorry I realized I uploaded photos of only women, there were men on the march too, maybe 20%, other marches are more gender balanced.

Feast of St. Francis Church Tour

The inside of the Church of San Francisco, about two blocks from my home, in the middle of a weekday.





The bell tower of The Parish of Hospicio, also located two blocks from my apartment in the other direction. I can see part of the other tower from one of my windows.




The Chapel of Santa Clara, just around the corner from my apartment. I can see the church spire from our outside interior balcony. It shows up in other blogs, from the balcony vista.  This is the chapel of the convent that provided the Social Center it's building.



This is the church at the Recoletta, where my former pastor (of San Pedro in Sacaba) Fr. Honny is currently the pastor. It is about a 20 minute walk from my house.




This is the chapel at the local hospital. Which not only provides a place to pray during visiting hours, but also has a parish with weekend masses.

The final picture is the interior of the church at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Tarata. Which was an old monastery.