Framed by the beautiful colonial chapel of Tomarapi, the cloud wreathed Sajama volcano rises to 21,463 feet/ 6542 m, the highest point in Bolivia and a major peak of the western wall of the Andes. The village of Tomarapi at 14,000' / 4300 m provides an excellent base for short trips into the surrounding Sajama National Park, rich in unique biodiversity including the Queñoa De Altura trees (Polylepis tarapacana) that grow on the slopes of Sajama, vicuñas (a camelid animal related to the domesticated llama), and rheas (flightless birds). The human cultural history is also important, with Inca ruins on the slopes of the Sajama, numerous chullpas (structures housing the mummified bodies of the noble persons of the Ayamara culture, thought to have contributed to the "dia de los muertos" tradition of Latin America), and the chapel shown here which dates as far back to the 17th century, renovated in 2010 with support from the U.S. embassy in Bolivia. The climatic history of the tropical Andes was reconstructed using ice cores collected from glaciers on the summit of Sajama by Lonnie Thompson of the Ohio State University.
We just returned from 2 weeks in Bolivia, joining Peter Boehringer
www.fourcorners.photography to enjoy the vast high landscapes of the Altiplano. More photos to follow over the next few weeks.
