LA PAZ, Bolivia – In a neighborhood called El Alto above the capital city of La Paz, Bolivia, a group of Aymara spiritual elders have taken a stand, refusing to leave their homes despite dangers or a cliff collapse.
The Aymara are an Indigenous people of the Andes. They have lived in the high-altitude regions surrounding Lake Titicaca, which spans the border between Bolivia and Peru, and parts of northern Chile. The Aymara are well-known for their resilience and deep cultural heritage, steadfastly preserving traditions and spiritual practices. Today, their connection to the land remains central to their identity, even as environmental and social challenges test it.
In El Alto, an extraordinary community of Aymara amautas— often referred to in the mainstream media as “shamans” but the word in Quechua is closer to “sage” – who function as healers and priests. They are also referred to as Yatiris.
The amautas are the spiritual custodians of the Aymara people, they offer spiritual and magical intervention of all matters from the mundane to the divine, and are tasked with maintaining harmony between humans and Pachamama, or Mother Earth. They practice pachakuti, the spiritual traditions based on the seasons and agricultural cycles. Their rituals, offerings, and prayers are deeply tied to the natural world, with the cliffs themselves serving as sacred spaces.
The amautas and their neighbors cling to homes precariously perched on the edges of cliffs. These dwellings, dangerously close to canyon drop-offs, are often referred to as “suicide homes”—a term as contentious as it is stark.
While the label highlights the very real risks of collapse from landslides and erosion, it fails to capture the profound spiritual and cultural ties the residents have to this land. The homes are literally on a cliff’s edge.
Despite worsening environmental conditions, many amautas refuse to leave. “We won’t leave; this is our home, and we are here to honor Pachamama,” said one amauta when questioned about evacuation orders. Their commitment to the land transcends practical considerations—it is a matter of identity, tradition, and faith.
However, the challenges are undeniable. Heavy rains, exacerbated by climate change, have eroded the cliffs, creating an imminent risk of collapse. The rainy season has only intensified these dangers, leaving the area vulnerable to sudden landslides.
Faced with these risks, city officials have proposed relocation plans. “The only thing we care about is the lives of these people,” said Gabriel Pari, the Municipal Secretary of Environmental Management and Risks.
Municipal authorities in El Alto and La Paz are increasingly concerned for the safety of those living in these precarious homes. “The sector is considered high risk, with near-vertical slopes,” warned Pari. ” The precipice in this valley is 90 degrees. That is precisely why we want them to leave this place, if they do not want to leave we are going to have to use force.”
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Dialogue sessions began last week and are planned, with representatives from the Ombudsman’s Office and Human Rights expected to mediate between the residents and municipal authorities. Yet the prospect of forced relocation remains contentious.
Many amautas, yatiris, and their neighbors view leaving as a rejection of their cultural and spiritual heritage. “We will make a payment, an offering,” explained Amauta Gabriel Lopez Chiva. “The land will not move. The land will stabilize.”
This defiant resolve reflects a broader tension—the collision of ancient traditions with modern pressures. To the amautas, their homes are not simply dwellings but sacred spaces tied to rituals and their role as guardians of the natural world. Climbing the cliffs to their homes is itself an act of devotion, woven into their prayers and offerings to Pachamama. Their spiritual practices, which include symbolic “payments” to the earth, are expressions of a relationship that has sustained the Aymara for generations.
The plight of El Alto’s cliffside communities speaks to a larger global narrative. Climate change, displacement, and cultural survival are issues faced by indigenous peoples worldwide. Experts warn that the erosion threatening the Aymara’s homes is a harbinger of challenges to come for other communities living on fragile lands. The amautas, standing firm on their cliffs, symbolize not just resistance but the struggle to preserve ancient knowledge and traditions in a rapidly changing world.
At the same time, the boundary disputes between La Paz and El Alto add another layer to the conflict. Both municipalities claim jurisdiction over the cliffs, complicating efforts to address the crisis. While El Alto asserts its authority, La Paz counters that the area falls within its territory, citing tax payments as evidence. Meetings between the two city governments have been scheduled to resolve these disputes, but for the residents on the ground, territorial squabbles matter little compared to the immediate dangers they face.
For now, the amautas and their community remain steadfast. Some have declared they would rather “die on the spot” than abandon their homes. Others work together to fortify their structures, reinforcing their resistance to both the encroaching elements and external pressures. This collective determination highlights the Aymara’s enduring resilience, even in the face of forces beyond their control.
“We are guardians of the spirits of the mountains and valleys,” the amautas say, reaffirming their role as protectors of both the physical and spiritual landscapes. Their fight to remain is not merely about survival; it is a defense of identity, history, and a way of life that has endured for centuries.
“We are not going to move from this place, because this is our daily work place,” said yatiri Manuel Mamani. “But we are going to take care of the soil, especially the rainwater, we are going to channel it so that the water goes somewhere else.”
As the cliffs crumble, their story stands as a testament to the balance they strive to maintain between humanity and the earth—a balance increasingly under threat, but one they refuse to abandon.
“We can do an offering ceremony. We do it as a payment because Pachamama needs an offering. It is like giving food.” said Amauta Gabriel Lopez Chiva in a BBC newsreel. “Then the land will not move. On the contrary, the land will stabilize.”
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