la paz

These four small museums are clustered together along La Paz finest Colonial Street, and can generally be bundled into one visit. Buy tickets at the Museo Costumbrista. Also known as Museo Del Oro Gold Museum, the Museo de Metales Preciosos houses four impressively presented salons of pre Columbian silver, gold and copper works and pieces from Tiwanaku. The diminutive Museo Del Litoral consists mainly of historical maps that defend Bolivia’s emotionally charged claims to Antofagasta and Chile’s Segunda Region.
 

This building was once home to Walter Solon Romero, one of the nation's most important and politically active artists. Known for his elaborate murals and fascination with Don Quijote, Solon paid the ultimate price when his son died in prison during the repressive 1970s. A sense of humor only slightly shades the visceral cry for justice in the maestro's works.
 

The city’s most unusual market lies along Calles Jimenez and Linares between Sagarnaga and Santa Cruz, amid lively tourist artesanias. What is on sale isn’t witchcraft as depicted in horror films the merchandise is herbal and folk remedies, plus a few more unorthodox ingredients intended to supplicate the various spirits of the Aymara world.
 

Anthropology buffs should check out this museum. The building, itself a real treasure, was constructed between 1776 and 1790, and was once the home of the Marques de Villaverde. The highlight is the Tres Milenios de Tejidos exhibitions of stunning weavings from around the country ask a guide for a look inside the drawers beneath the wall hangings.
 

Fans of Bolivia’s lovely traditional weaving consider this small textile museum Museo de Textiles Andinos Bolivianos, a must see. Examples of the country’s finest traditional textiles are grouped by region and described in Spanish. The creative process is explained from fiber to finished product.

This stunning building was constructed in 1775 of pink Viacha granite and has been restored to its original grandeur, in mestizo baroque and Andino baroque styles. In the centre of a huge courtyard, surrounded by three stories of pillared corridors, is a lovely alabaster fountain. The various levels are dedicated to different eras, with an emphasis on religious themes.