(19 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
El Alto, Bolivia – 17 December 2024
1. Various aerials of a row of precarious structures known as “suicide homes” cling to the edge of a 200-foot cliff (100 meters) in the city of El Alto ++MUTE++
2. Aymara shamans waiting for customers
3. Aymara shaman Tiburcio Condori
4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Tiburcio Condori, Aymara shaman:
"This place is like solid ground. It’s like clay. It’s not going to go down, not going to go down. The rain washes it away a little bit as always, but going down completely, that’s not going to happen."
5. Various aerial shots of homes ++MUTE++
6. Various of llama fetuses (used for shamanic rituals)
7. Shamans working outside their homes
8. AP Reporter Carlos Valdez, left, with Gabriel Pari, Secretary of Water and Sanitation of the El Alto mayor’s office
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gabriel Pari, Secretary of Water and Sanitation of the El Alto mayor’s office:
"Look, they (the shamans) indicate that nothing has happened in more than 50, 60 years, and nothing is going to happen. They say, "We are going to do rituals as always." I personally respect those rituals, but technically, as we can see, the slope is almost 90 degrees. Above 60 is considered high risk."
10. Shamans performing a ritual
11. Shaman Tomas Pachajaya
12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Tomas Pachajaya, Aymara shaman:
"During the time I have been here, there have not been any landslides or accidents.
Reporter: And you’re not afraid?
No, because (slides) don’t happen in this place."
9. View of the cliff and El Alto city ++MUTE++
STORYLINE:
In El Alto, Bolivia, a row of precarious structures known as “suicide homes” cling to the edge of a 200-foot cliff (61 meters).
These dwellings, often used by Aymara shamans for rituals honoring Pachamama (Mother Earth), are increasingly unstable due to erosion from heavy rains and climate change.
City authorities have warned residents of the imminent danger and are considering forced evacuations.
Despite the risks, the shamans refuse to leave, believing their spiritual offerings will stabilize the land and protect them.
The shamans entrust themselves to the Andean gods to protect the precarious constructions located on the edge of the abyss that rain, wind, and erosion threaten to collapse.
Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, extends below, with its neighborhoods as if hanging from the slope.
In recent years, the erosion of the mountain range has accelerated due to climate change.
A month ago, rain caused a mudslide that buried an entire neighborhood and took the life of a girl.
For this reason, the El Alto mayor’s office authorities have notified the shamans to vacate the area due to the danger of landslides.
According to geological studies, the site is not a rock formation but sandy and clayey soil.
The area has been sacred to the Aymara indigenous people since pre-Hispanic times.
During colonial times, the shamans performed rituals on that summit before entering the city with their caravan of llamas carrying agricultural products.
AP Video by Carlos Guerrero
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