In La Paz, Bolivia, wandering aimlessly down some cobblestone street far away from Calle Sagárnaga, a spool of thread pops out from a corner, spinning from a worn hand.

I’m not far from the Mercado de Hechicería, or Witches’ Market. This area, while some of it has become a tourist spectacle, is one of the city’s most traditional. Here the Aymara residents cling to time honored traditions of chewing coca leaves and weaving by hand, traits they brought with them to La Paz after the 1952 revolution.

Nicholas Gill (470 Posts)

Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.