Culpina K In Bolivia: The Rebirth Of A People
Culpina K is a small town located in the province of Nor Lípez de Potosí, 419 kilometers from the Oruro tourist route, in Bolivia. The ‘K’ originates from the nomenclature used to identify telegraph networks.
This town is a place of passage between the Verde and Colorada lagoons and the Uyuni salt flat. Its half a thousand inhabitants distribute their time between the cultivation of quinoa and the raising of auquénidos. In the past, Culpina K was inhabited by the Guaraní culture and by the Uru-Quila culture.
The memory of Culpina K
Its history is full of bloody battles that were fought there to free itself from Spanish subjugation in colonial times. Not only Bolivians participated, but Chilean contingents led by different generals.
Later, the latifundistas undertook some projects that sought to promote mining, cattle ranching and agriculture in the region. Over time, very little was left of that ‘development’ and the town fell into oblivion.
The initiative for your recovery
Today in Culpina K there are only 76 families, mired in poverty and abandonment. Therefore, faced with this situation, the artist Gastón Ugalde undertook the titanic task of recovering the town together with the CAF (Andean Development Corporation) and the San Cristóbal mining company.
The work has not been easy, especially since the inhabitants of Culpina K do not have a clear cultural identity. On the one hand, they live on Bolivian land; on the other, state abandonment and isolation has led them to trade and interact only with Chileans.
On the one hand, tourism is expected to become the source of income that Culpina K requires so much for its subsistence. On the other, that the Culpeños regain their identity and feel proud of it.
Culpina K: a place like no other
Culpina K is far from being an ordinary town. In its central square it presents a monument in the shape of a snail and magnetite. The monumental sculpture is 7 meters high and its construction used rocks weighing 200 tons.
Its building is like from another world. It can be traversed internally through narrow spiral corridors that end in its center, a fascinating center composed of a circular block of white marble, which is buried in the ground.
In its entrails a special energy is felt, probably due to the presence of the moon and the effect of the magnetite, which make being there quite an experience. Outside, and surrounding the complex, there are eight metallic trees with wooden horns that guard the entrance.
Winds of change in Culpina K
The roofs of the houses of the town have abandoned the metallic of their tiles, which have been replaced by the gilding of straw. A main square lined with stone and marble has been built.
The residents of Culpina K did not believe in the promises of change made by the organizers of the initiative. But reality prevailed and then they began to actively participate in that change. With the transformation project, hope and the renewed desire to recover their roots have resurfaced.
The tradition of effort
In Culpina K it was no longer known what tarkeadas or moceñadas were and the costumes spoke of what they were not. Gone were the weaving with llama wool and the traditions had been lost in a bottomless time.
Now each one contributes his or her own in the reconstruction of a town that has much to offer the world: the cobbled streets, the houses with thatched roofs and ornate doors, the monuments, the sculptures of Gastón Ugalde and the squares. The enormous effort of a community that wants to get ahead is reflected in every corner of this town.
The Gastón Ugalde desert
For the plastic artist Gastón Ugalde, the desert was always a source of inspiration, that is why he continues to work tirelessly to make his dream come true. Hence the spheres that will be at the top of the Puerta del Sol, 10 meters high. Or the metallic horse of the apostle Santiago, patron of the town and that will be located in the recently remodeled church.
Despite having suffered an accident, Gastón Ugalde is an accomplished climber and someone who really cares about the future of the town. That is why his fertile imagination does not stop creating new forms that make Culpina K a unique place in the world.
Together with the community, he also works on altarpieces, religious sculptures, painting of house facades, doors, windows and, of course, more metal trees. And who knows what else comes to mind.
The fruits of transformation
Now women are back to weaving on looms and men are excited about learning the culinary arts of their ancestors. It is also providing all the basic services necessary for the comfort of residents and those who visit them.
What the new visitors fail to understand is the enormous effort made to make the town what it is today. Even so, the enthusiasm is high and the desire to improve even more is permanent. Definitely, the best thing about visiting this town is its people and the value that characterizes them when it comes to believing in themselves again.
Main Photography: Peter Collins / Flickr.com
