María Cristina de Borbón y Bosch-Labrús, 3rd Duchess of Dúrcal

What people wore

Shawl fasteners: hooks and gold topos

For everyday wear, women secured their shawls with a metal hook, while on feast days they used a gold pin called a topo.

Getting around

Seasonal travel by mule

During the rainy season from November to March, wagon roads were often destroyed by floods, forcing travelers to use muleback routes instead.

At the table

Typical Daily Meals in La Paz

La Paz families regularly ate Chairo, a thick soup made from chuño, chalona, and mote, often cooked in clay pots and served with a roll called a marraqueta. Breakfast typically consisted of tea or coffee, while only children drank milk.

Music

Morenada was traditionally played with zampoñas

Before brass bands became common in the 1930s, the Morenada dance rhythm was traditionally played using native wind instruments like the zampoña. Indigenous groups participated in celebrations using their own traditional music rather than brass bands.

Daily life

Lack of home heating

Because coal was expensive at $60 per ton and wood was scarce, most houses lacked heating, forcing residents to wear overcoats or use heavy bedding to endure the cold.

What it cost

Wages and Labor for Rubber Workers

In the early 1900s, rubber workers were sometimes paid 15 bolivianos per month and received certain foods for free, but had to work 90 days for free in exchange.