El Alto
Encyclopedia
At one time merely a suburb of adjacent La Paz
, Bolivia
, on the Altiplano
highlands, the city of El Alto (Spanish
for The Heights) is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census
, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains La Paz's El Alto International Airport
. El Alto is one of the highest major cities in the world, up to 4150 meters (13,615 feet) above sea level. It has a cold climate, reaching the maximum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius (62 °F) in summer. It is the fastest-growing city in Bolivia, due to a trend of movement from Bolivia's rural areas to the La Paz region that started with the rural reform of 1952 and increased in the last 10 years. El Alto is the largest city in Latin America which has a mostly Amerindian population. About 76% of its inhabitants are Aymara, 9% are Quechua, 15% are Mestizo (descendants of Amerindian and White Europeans) and less than .1% are Criollos (of Europe
an descent). . El Alto is known as La Paz's bedroom community, though recent growth of commerce and industry has led some local authorities to claim the title of "Bolivia's Economic Capital."
The dry and inclement plain above La Paz was uninhabited until 1903, when the newly built railways from Lake Titicaca
and Arica
reached the rim of the canyon, where the La Paz terminus, railyards and depots were built along with a settlement of railway workers (a spur line down into the canyon opened in 1905). In 1925 the airfield was built as base for the new air force, which attracted additional settlement. In 1939 El Alto's first elementary school opened. El Alto started to grow tremendously in the 1950s, when the settlement was connected to La Paz' water supply (before that all water had to be transported from La Paz in tanker vehicles) and building land in the canyon became more and more short and expensive. In an administrative reform on March 6, 1985 the district of El Alto and surroundings was politically separated from the City of La Paz (this date is officially referred to and celebrated as the city's "founding day"). In 1987 El Alto was formally incorporated
as a city. In 1994, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Alto
.
Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia
opened in 2002. From 2003 to present times, access from La Paz to the international airport, as well to oil and gas supplies, has been frequently blocked by protesting El Alto social leaders, who have become some of the most powerful players in the politics of Bolivia
. El Alto was - and remains - one of the major centers of the Bolivian gas conflict.
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, on the Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
highlands, the city of El Alto (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for The Heights) is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains La Paz's El Alto International Airport
El Alto International Airport
El Alto International Airport is an international airport located south west of La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia.The airport is located in the city of El Alto and has served since the first half of the 20th century, but was modernized in the late 1960s, when its runway was lengthened and a new...
. El Alto is one of the highest major cities in the world, up to 4150 meters (13,615 feet) above sea level. It has a cold climate, reaching the maximum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius (62 °F) in summer. It is the fastest-growing city in Bolivia, due to a trend of movement from Bolivia's rural areas to the La Paz region that started with the rural reform of 1952 and increased in the last 10 years. El Alto is the largest city in Latin America which has a mostly Amerindian population. About 76% of its inhabitants are Aymara, 9% are Quechua, 15% are Mestizo (descendants of Amerindian and White Europeans) and less than .1% are Criollos (of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an descent). . El Alto is known as La Paz's bedroom community, though recent growth of commerce and industry has led some local authorities to claim the title of "Bolivia's Economic Capital."
The dry and inclement plain above La Paz was uninhabited until 1903, when the newly built railways from Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
and Arica
Arica, Chile
Arica is a commune and a port city with a population of 185,269 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica and Parinacota Region, located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the capital of both the Arica Province and the Arica and Parinacota Region...
reached the rim of the canyon, where the La Paz terminus, railyards and depots were built along with a settlement of railway workers (a spur line down into the canyon opened in 1905). In 1925 the airfield was built as base for the new air force, which attracted additional settlement. In 1939 El Alto's first elementary school opened. El Alto started to grow tremendously in the 1950s, when the settlement was connected to La Paz' water supply (before that all water had to be transported from La Paz in tanker vehicles) and building land in the canyon became more and more short and expensive. In an administrative reform on March 6, 1985 the district of El Alto and surroundings was politically separated from the City of La Paz (this date is officially referred to and celebrated as the city's "founding day"). In 1987 El Alto was formally incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a city. In 1994, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Alto
Roman Catholic Diocese of El Alto
The Roman Catholic Diocese of El Alto is a diocese located in the city of El Alto in the Ecclesiastical province of La Paz in Bolivia.-History:* June 25, 1994: Established as Diocese of El Alto from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of La Paz-Leadership:...
.
Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia
Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia
The Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia is an art museum in El Alto, Bolivia.Inaugurated in 2002, as of 2011 the museum contains 503 works of art and 11,931 books. It includes works by Pérez Alcalá, Darío Antezana, Gil Imana, Alfredo Laplaca, Marina Núñez del Prado, Víctor Zapana, Gonzalo...
opened in 2002. From 2003 to present times, access from La Paz to the international airport, as well to oil and gas supplies, has been frequently blocked by protesting El Alto social leaders, who have become some of the most powerful players in the politics of Bolivia
Politics of Bolivia
The politics of Bolivia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state, head of government and head of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the...
. El Alto was - and remains - one of the major centers of the Bolivian gas conflict.
Further reading
- Lazar, Sian (2008), El Alto, Rebel City, Duke University Press, ISBN 9780822341543