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Andean Ancestral Ritual in La Paz

By Carmen Valdivia Escobar
Free cancellation available
Price is $70 per adult* *Get lower prices by selecting more than 2 adults
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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.

Afterward, 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

Dinner and Ritual
  • Activity duration is 4 hours4h
    4h
  • English

Duration: 2 hours: 2 hours
Apthapi (andean style banquette)
private transportation
Pickup included

Starting time: 7:00pm
Price details
$70.00 x 1 Adult$70.00
Total
Price is $70.00

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Alcoholic Beverages
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Public transportation
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Dinner
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Supplies for Andean ritual
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Souvenirs and/or gifts
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Gratuities

Know before you book

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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 neighborhood 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

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Mercado de Las Brujas
    • Melchor Jimenez
    • La Paz, Bolivia

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Mercado de Las Brujas
    • Melchor Jimenez
    • La Paz, Bolivia

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