THE RICH CITY OF ORURO

Located on the Altiplano on and beneath the slopes of a hill, earth-colored Oruro is one of Bolivia's major cities. Founded in 1601, it has since been a minig center of tin, silver and wolfram.

The city of Oruro is visited by tens of thousands of Bolivians from other regions of the country and by foreigners from all over the world during the Carnaval celebration, wich occurs at the end of February or beginning of March. It is definitely a must when you visit Bolivia: it is probable one of the most spectacular cultural events in Latin America. It is best if you make arrangements for travel and lodging with travel agencies in La Paz. The new Museum of Archeology, located on the southern side of the city next to the botanical gardens, is also worth visiting. Especially notable are the stone llama head from the Huancarani period and a first-rate colection of masks used in Carnaval. 

Maskmakers and embroiders can be found on Calle La Paz. They make the elaborate plaster-of-paris and tin masks and the costumes used for the Diablada.

Also worth visiting is the Virgin del Socavón Sanctuary, located to the west of the city at the foothill of the mountain that overlooks the city. Here is where all Carnaval celebrations are focused, and also where the Virgin of Candelaria is worshipped. During Carnaval, dancers wearing devil masks and outfits end up at the church, where they pay homage to the Virgin. 

Since it is part of the Altiplano, there are often strong winds that sweep trough the city. Oruro is at an altitude of 12,143 feet (3,702m ) Clothing for visiting Oruro would be the same as for La Paz.

The city of Oruro, is not only known for its majestic carnival, which is recognized as the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, but also for its gastronomy. We will describe a little about it.

Oruro is famous for one dish: Rostro Asado, baked lamb's head, which is a calf's head baked, even skin. Its origin goes back to the time when the Spaniards dominated the ancient Villa Real de San Felipe de Austria, when the Indians traded lamb and just left with their heads, which is then baked in the ovens of the bakeries of tambos. This dish is not very appealing to the eye, is one of the most requested by diners who frequent the street 6 October city of Oruro, from night until dawn, when selling it offered in huge pots, wrapped with napkins, newspapers and nylon to keep warm. There are even accompaniments, from potatoes, rice to salad.

The lamb is an essential ingredient for other culinary offerings, such as shin, which can be enjoyed in its heyday in restaurants like Nayjama and Rincon Orureño; or thimpu, Creole dish that emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and consists of rice, potatoes, potato starch, watery yellow pepper; or toast, boiled in water and fries in oil with potatoes, salad and potato flour prey.

In this account can not miss the charquecán, served with peeled mote, cheese, boiled egg and fry meat dehydrated and flame, and llajua; is one of the attractions of Campero market and it is said that in ancient times was consumed by the ancestors sliced ​​and only mote. Another delicacy is the ferroviario, which dates back some 30 years and combines meat, potatoes and chorrellana.

El Intendente is a dish created by a government official from Sucre who was sent to Oruro in the early years of this century.The dish became so popular that it is still offered on the menu. It tells that was created in the mid of last century and is named after a city official who held the post of mayor and strictly controlled stalls where comideras offered him their best products and a piece of different meats. So, this treat is rack of lamb, chicken, kidneys, intestines, udders, testicles, sausages, among others.

Same is the Pampaco or Huatía that originally prepared in the highlands only root vegetables such as sweet potato, potato, oca; however, now does it with cooked meat underground. Or the k'alapari, Lawa made with hot stones. Or the mistake, you have to quinoa as an ingredient, which is then cooked accompanied with cheese, sugar or milk.

At present, even pizza and peanut soup have adopted a orureño flavor, and can not fail to mention the api p'osko, cinnamon ice cream, heart anticuchos and choripanes from La Rancheria based sausages made in Oruro.

Cabeza. A dish that enjoys great demand among domestic and foreign guests is the head, which is elemental to the head of lamb, which is cooked and then served with potatoes, potato flour ingredient, bush onions, chopped tomatoes (even with peppers or locotos) and the inevitable llajua. Head eat brains, eyes, tongue and little meat that is attached to the bone.

Api. It is a delicacy that is consumed mainly as breakfast. It is a typical highland thick drink served hot and is developed based on flour milled purple and yellow corn, then, is cooked in water with cinnamon and sugar grains. The main accompaniments are donuts and pastries, which are made with pastry filled with cheese fried in oil.

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