Join us on an amazing day trip to the Valle Alto / High valley of Cochabamba.
This is a special visit to the colonial villages around the city of Cochabamba.
The Upper Cochabamba Valley is a region located in the center of the Cochabamba department in Bolivia and is part of the country’s valley region. It is characterized by its location between the Andes Mountain range and the Amazon basin and includes several valley municipalities known for their cultural richness.
We start the trip in the historical open air museum Tarata. A beautiful colonial village with a lot of amazing history. Tarata is also known as the “Colonial Town.” It was founded during the viceregal era of the Spanish monarchy, when Bolivia was the Royal Audience of Charcas and was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
We will visit:
Historic center
San Pedro Temple
The watchtower
Paleontological museum and cultural arts center
Town hall
Melgarejo Bridge
Melgarejo quarters
Franciscan Temple of San José from 1796
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Then we go to Huayculi, here we will visit a very old tradition. Huayculi is the pottery capital of the valley, possibly since long before Cochabamba became Cochabamba. The potter is a kind of alchemist who jealously guards the secrets of his craft, from the types of clay, their textures, smells, and colors, to the places where they are abundant and the best way to extract them, to mastering the art of fire that allows for the perfect firing of the pieces.
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After Huayculi we will go directly to Arani, Arani is a municipality and town, capital of the province of Arani. It is known as the “Land of Bread and Wind.” In Arani we will visit a very special old, forgotten convent, Convento de Santa Catalina de Siena de Colpa Ciaco.
The convent was built in 1570 by the Augustinians. Much of the architecture is Renaissance in style, although in 1801 it passed into the hands of the Jesuits, who added mestizo Baroque details. In 1825, Antonio José de Sucre ordered its expropriation and it was sold to the Paz Soldán family. A Republican-style hacienda was added to the convent. During the agrarian revolution of 1952, the inhabitants expropriated the convent.
According to some historical records, the construction of the Augustinian convent in Villa Oropesa (now occupied by the Achá theater) was planned on its premises, plans were drawn up, and the construction of the Franciscan convent in Tarata was directed. In addition, the liberators SimĂłn BolĂvar and Antonio JosĂ© de Sucre spent the night there on their way to Cochabamba from Sucre, leaving as proof in the room occupied by BolĂvar—the first on the upper floor of the cloister—the colors of the flag of the new Republic painted on one of its walls.
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After this visit we head to Punata, where we will have a spectacular typical dinner together.
