Sucre, Bolivia

Arrived in Sucre, Bolivia yesterday. This is my second visit to Bolivia. But the first time was just on the border.

Sucre is the named capital of Bolivia although the government is in La Paz. Sucre is near Potosi-a very old silver mining town. Back in the day, the rich mine owners lived in Sucre and worked in Potosi. It was the Paris of South America for a while. That has changed, but it is still a beautiful city-the city of white. Most of the buildings are white, which is precious against the mountains that surround it.

Today was a museum day. I visited some of the best museums in Sucre. All have one highlighting feature that makes them unique and worthwhile to visit. First I went to the Museum of Textile Art. It is truly one of a kind. It contains hand woven art from various local cultures and you can watch women weave gorgeous patterns with wool. It was fascinating. The talent to make this type of art is unbelievable and boggles my mind. Later I visited the Museo Charcas-University Museum Colonial and Anthropological which is inside a 17th century mansion. It holds a huge collection of Bolivian and European art and also has a comtemporary art section. The most impressive piece of art is by the half-indigenous Melchor Perez Holguin in his work San Juan de Dios where he painted an almost perfect depiction of human hands. Lastly I headed to the Museo de la Catedral which is filled with more colonial art. But the best part is the Chapel of the Virgin Guadalupe. There lies a painting of Virgen de Guadalupde from the 1600´s who is adorned with thousands of pounds of jewelry that the faithful have offered her over the years. I was not allowed to take a photo so here is one I found on google!

Tomorrow...dinosaurs!!!! I´ll explain later.