Alcaya (Bolivia)

180 ml south of Oruro city in the department of Oruro and very close to the village of Salinas de Garci Mendoza, is the Alcaya archeological site, a real open-air museum . Here you find remains dating from the pre-Colombian era that belonged to the Chullpa Indians, one of the most ancient people of the Andes.

The Alcaya Archeological Museum site is divided into 3 parts. Our guide first takes us into the mountains that shelter the houses in which the Chullpa lived. Next we go down a rocky slope to discover the remnants of terrace farms where the Indians long ago grew fruit and vegetables to feed their community. Finally, the last part is the most moving: inside small underground caves, mummies (and not skeletons!) in an incredible state of preservation seem to have been sleeping for centuries. Around the mummies, you find ceramics, tools and their everyday objects.

Hard not to be emotional in the face of the deceased huddled up since time immemorial. I will remember this emotionally charged moment of my trip to Bolivia .