The celebration of the Andean New Year with offerings to Pachamama began a lull in social protests with a slow return to normality in Bolivia, after the declaration of a state of exception that put an end to more than 50 days of lockdowns of roads that isolated La Paz and other regions.
Thousands of Bolivians went in the early hours of Sunday (21) to the surrounding mountains and viewpoints in La Paz to receive with their hands raised the first rays of sun that, according to the Andean cosmovision, arrive loaded with cosmic energy, a celebration that dates back to ancient pre-Hispanic peoples and that coincides with the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
Anti-government roadblocks have been slowly being lifted since Saturday, when President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of exception throughout the country. The social crisis and lack of fuel did not interrupt the tradition, but reduced participation.
One of the largest rural unions that was responsible for the roadblocks that suffocated La Paz called the day before for a pause in the conflict and ordered the withdrawal of those mobilized until next week to analyze the situation after the declaration of a state of exception. THE break will also allow you to participate in the celebration, says a statement from the organization.
Shortly before the celebration in the early hours of Sunday, the Legislative Assembly ratified by majority the decree that declared the state of exception.
Only the cocalero union, aligned with former president Evo Morales (2006-2019), remains in protest, whom the government accuses of instigating and financing the mobilizations to achieve “impunity”, according to the authorities, from a judicial investigation for alleged abuse of a minor when he was in charge. THE The 66-year-old politician has lived entrenched in his cocalero stronghold of Chapare since 2024 and has refused to appear before justice.
The police forces who have been clearing the routes since Saturday did not enter Chapare, where the blockades persisted on Sunday. You cocalero unions maintain control of this region where mafias linked to drug trafficking also operate, according to the government and police.
During the conflict, hundreds of trucks were stuck on the routes. The truck drivers were able to return home the day before. You businesspeople estimate losses at more than US$2 billion and cities are left without fuel and food suppliesfurther complicating the difficult economic recovery of the country that is facing the worst economic crisis in four decades.
