Andean Ancestral Ritual in La Paz

Andean Ancestral Ritual in La Paz

By Carmen Valdivia Escobar

Free cancellation available

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Features

Free cancellation available
4h
Mobile voucher
Instant confirmation
Selective hotel pickup
Multiple languages

Overview

Discover the hidden mysteries of Andean culture by participating in an ancestral offering ritual to Pachamama. This ritual has been passed down through generations and has remained a living tradition to this day.

First, you will visit the Witches' Market, where you will purchase the ingredients for the ritual. There, you will meet the “chifleras,” wise women and healers who prepare the offerings for Pachamama.

Afterwards, you will dine on a traditional “Apthapi” banquet of meat (charque) and different types of potatoes, a tradition in the Andes region.

Finally, you will participate in the ceremony in which you will prepare a “mesa” (sweet offering) for Pachamama and place it on the fire for the ritual. You will pray for health and fortune until the flames of the fire turn the offering to ashes. To close the ritual, you will receive the smudging of incense.

Activity location

Mercado de Las Brujas
- Melchor Jimenez
- La Paz, Bolivia

Meeting/Redemption Point

Mercado de Las Brujas
- Melchor Jimenez
- La Paz, Bolivia

Check availability

Ancestral Andean Ritual in La Paz

4h
English

Pickup included

Travellers

Languages available

Starting time: 17:30

Price details

€73.06 x 2 Adults€146.12

Total

Until Fri, 6 Mar

What's included, what's not

Alcoholic Drinks
Public transport
Dinner
Supplies for Andean ritual
Souvenirs and/or gifts
Service charge

Know before you book

Service animals allowed
Public transport options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.

Activity itinerary

Mercado de Las Brujas

1h

The guide will accompany you on a tour of the Witches' Market. He will tell you about Andean traditions and explain how to purchase a traditional "mesa" (offering) for the Andean ritual to Pachamama. The guide will show you the shop of a renowned "chiflera" (Andean healer) where you can purchase the "mesa" for the ritual. At the Witches' Market, you can also purchase handicrafts if you wish.

Macrodistrito Sur

2h

The guide will take you by shuttle to the southern part of the city, where you will dine an Apthapi (a traditional feast from the Andes region) at the guide's home. Apthapi is prepared with charque (dried beef), a variety of potatoes, cheeses, corn, and llajua (hot sauce). The guide will also serve you a hot drink called Té con Té. This is a sweet drink containing a distilled Bolivian liquor known as Singani. The guide will tell you all about this traditional feast and its importance as part of the Andean ritual of offering to Pachamama.

Los Rosales

1h

The guide will lead you to the patio of the house in Los Rosales area to perform the ceremony of offering the table to Pachamama. The guide will explain all the steps to follow to prepare the table, from selecting sacred leaves and placing sugar and cinnamon on top to pouring alcohol over the table. Once it's ready, with the help of the guide, you can place the table on firewood to light the fire. As the fire consumes the offering, the guide will tell you stories of how his mother and grandmother passed on their ritual knowledge to him and will explain the importance of each new generation preserving and passing on this ancestral knowledge. You will conclude the ceremony by receiving a smudging of incense from the guide.

Location

Activity location

Mercado de Las Brujas
- Melchor Jimenez
- La Paz, Bolivia

Meeting/Redemption Point

Mercado de Las Brujas
- Melchor Jimenez
- La Paz, Bolivia

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