Dirt roads and Castles

Feb 24-25  Tupiza to Tarija

 This portion of our travels is also re-tracing our steps from last year. The route we chose avoided a long northern loop to Potosi and back south, which is all paved. Instead we took the more exciting route across the mountain range and as expected the scenery was fantastic. The weather was perfect and the road was drier than last year as well. It seems the rainy season missed this part of the country or it has managed to dry up quickly, either way it is nice and dry.

The area is vaguely familiar, we remember certain parts and are curious to see if any progress has been made on the area where the road was washed away. But before that we have to go up and over the first part of the mountain range.

The road destruction is being worked on but is still not open, however the expected rocky downhill portion has seen more erosion and but they have cleaned up most of the rocks have been removed either by man or nature. This speeds things along and soon we are in the little village where Brenda tipped over last year. This has been how we identify the village as neither of us can remember the name, we just refer to it as the “tip-over village”.

From the village it is out into the flat-ish valley floor and across to the next mountain range. There has not been much traffic at all to this point, I think we have seen 2 cars in the last 100km, we do catch up to a little local bike transporting a propane bottle. The bottle is strapped loosely onto the rear luggage rack and is bouncing violently as the bike rattles down the rough road. We branch off on a cut across to avoid another longer loop. This section has changed due to the wet season, the first thing we encounter is a rather technical rocky downhill section that appears untraveled. If we had not been this way before we would have likely turned around or at minimum scouted ahead on foot before attempting with the bike. Instead I take for granted that the road is passable and just forge ahead.

This works out for best as the road is actually ride-able and we soon join up with a more travelled road that follows the river and leads us to the highway after a quick 5km. Then up and over one more range and we should be in Tarija.

We did forget a few details along the way, like the tunnel and the old church.

After that there were no surprises and we were soon booking into a nice hostal along the river. Well there was a bit of driving around to find the place but not too much. This allowed us the rest of the afternoon to walk the city and enjoy the sights. The San Francisco church/missionary was built in 1606 and is still standing and functioning as a missionary.

The other building is Casa Dorado which was built by a wealthy business man and his wife in hopes that it would establish their legacy in the city.

“The Casa Dorada is one of two beautiful castle-like buildings in Tarija built by the same man: Moisés Navajas Ichazo, a very wealthy “chapaco” businessman who, not having any descendents of his own, decided these two imposing mansions would be what he’d be remembered for. The most famous is the Casa Dorada, now a cultural symbol of the valleys of Tarija.

Moisés Navajas Ichazo was the talented descendant of a Sephardi Jew from Spain (Navajas) who converted to Catholicism, emigrated to Bolivia, and married a Tarijeña whose last name was Ichazo. From a very early age Moisés was very Business-minded. He abandoned his studies and took up trading full time. He inherited a large amount of money from his father and invested it first in a botica where he sold imported supplies. He then began to bring all types of goods from Europe, first by sea, then using pack animals, which he sold in Potosí, Tarija, and several cities in northern Argentina.

His wife, Esperanza Morales Serrano, had the same gift for trade as he did and became his right hand, handling business transactions. However, she bore no children and the made no effort to adopt. In 1887 the couple commissioned a pair of Swiss-Italian architects (Antonio and Miguel Camponovo) to build a house on a property they owned just one block from the central plaza in Tarija (Plaza Luis de Fuentes). The house was to be not only majestic, but also unique, giving them no reason to envy European mansions. In addition, it was to have features unlike the usual Bolivian architecture of the times.

The Camponovos understood their desires perfectly and designed a two-storied Art Noveau building with slight traces of the Mudéjar style on the first floor. Local materials were used for the structure, but others such as paintings, moldings, tapices, marble stairs, rugs, curtains, statues, utilería, mirrors, furniture, collectable art and more were imported. At the homeowners’ request, the bottom floor was designed as a type of shopping center with nine interconnected storefronts, much like modern strip malls where the Navajas exhibited their merchandise for sale. The care and detail given to each room is outstanding. No restrooms were built as the back patio was used for this and also for unloading animals and receiving the mule drivers. From the main entrance there is a corridor that passes through what used to be the stores and leads to a white marble staircase that ascends to the second floor.

On the top floor there is a reception room, a huge dining room, a chapel, and the bedrooms used by Moisés Navajas and his wife, with discreet balconies that have wrought iron railings and are decorated with feminine statues. Although on the first floor there is evidence the homeowners paid homage to the Star of David, there is also a pretty private chapel with ceilings featuring the Passion of Christ hand painted by Italian artists Jose Strocco and Helvecio Camponovo. The façade features tall columns, arches and feminine statues on the ledges. In addition, the house is painted a deep orange color inside and the exterior has been painted gold with silver accents, which is why it’s called the Casa Dorada (Golden House).

After sixteen years of construction, the house was inaugurated in January of 1903. The Navajas lived in it for decades, continuing their import and trade business, and philanthropy. When Moisés died in 1939 his wife lived there alone. When Esperanza died the house was inherited by her nieces and nephews until, in 1974, the national government decided that it was not being given proper “social” uses and issued a decree to expropriate it. The Morales siblings appealed and reached an agreement with the judge: they would inhabit it until the last of them, who was already elderly, died. When she passed away two years later the house was turned over to the Juan Misael Saracho Autonomous University on the 29th of January, 1976. Years later, in 1985 it was turned into the Casa de la Cultura de Tarija (the Tarija House of Culture), and this was endorsed by the government in 1988.

After six years of extensive renovations, it is now a museum. Visitors can enter Monday through Friday to take a one-hour tour. The house contains original artwork, busts and sculptures, furniture, curtains, statues, a grand piano made of red cedar, lighting and lamps, clothing, murals, and original samples of some of the goods and merchandise the Navajas used to sell in their stores. Tours begin at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and at 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. and cost Bs. 5 (about 80 cents of a dollar). Because the interiors still contain many original paintings, wallpaper and fabrics, you can take photos of the exteriors only and furniture may not be touched. Some of the Casa Dorada salons are also used for cultural events such as art exhibits and concerts. It has an auditorium, library and theater.”

The museum was closed so we cannot see inside but the exterior of the building is incredible and at night it is lit up to show off the details. Tarija is considered one of the safest cities in Bolivia and as such it is comfortable to walk around at night without much worry and we like seeing how the city transforms.

Typical street scene.