Andean Ancestral Ritual in La Paz
- 4 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
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.
Inclusions
What's included
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Public transportation
- Dinner
- Supplies for Andean ritual
What's not
- Souvenirs and/or gifts
- Gratuities
Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 51
- 40
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- I will wait for the travelers at the Witches' Market, on Santa Cruz street, corner C. Linares
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Carmen Valdivia Escobar
- 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
How it compares in La Paz
- Its from-price is 21% below the median of the 311 experiences we list in La Paz.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 154 of 311.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About La Paz
La Paz is Bolivia's seat of government, a high-altitude city in a canyon below Illimani, linked by cable car and known for its markets.
La Paz fills a steep canyon on the Altiplano, between roughly 3,200 and 4,000 metres above sea level, with the snowy peak of Illimani standing over its southern edge. Sucre is the constitutional capital, but the government sits here. Plaza Murillo holds the cathedral and the presidential palace, and nearby Calle Jaén keeps colonial houses and small museums.
Top-ranked sights in La Paz: San Francisco Church, Plaza Murillo, Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas).
Special offers in La Paz
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
