Cotoca
It rained all last night. I never
heard any thunder, but saw the lightning.
When my alarm went off at 6 am, I didn’t even bother to get out of
bed. It was too wet to venture
outside. But around 7:30, I looked out
the window to see a beautiful day unfolding.
About an hour later, I was
heading out the door, looking for an empanada at Teconté.
I got there at the right moment to get one fresh out of the oven. It was still overcast and a nice breeze was
blowing as I walked down Iralá.
Today, I decided to use some
recently acquired skills. I wanted to
see how cheaply I could get to Cotoca and back.
First, I needed to get a trufi
that follows the route of the First Ring.
I could save 2 Bs. to walk from Iralá to Melchor Pinto, but that is a
20 to 30-minute walk. Instead I could
use the extra time in Cotoca.
The rotunda at Melchor Pinto was
flooded. The rainy season is supposed to
be over, but it seems there are a few rainy days left. At the rotunda, I needed to look for a
different trufi, one that goes to Cotoca.
If you are new to my blog, or forgot, a trufi is a group taxi. The Trufi that goes to Cotoca, a 30-minute
ride costs 5 Bs., about $0.70.
Cotoca is a small town of about
20,000 to the east of Santa Cruz. Today
there is not much rural land between the two.
It seems a continual stretch of city along the highway, as you pass
factories, stores, and residences. But
when you arrive at Cotoca, it all seems to change, because Cotoca has the feel
of a small town, or like you have gone back 25 years to a simpler age.
I got out at the Plaza and
wandered into the compound of the Virgen de Cotoca. There is a beautiful church with a large
patio, with lots of shady seating on the west side of the Plaza. The church has been here since 1799. During that entire time, many in the
Department of Santa Cruz consider it to be their holiest site.
The story of how it came to be
goes something like this. In the 1700s,
Cotoca was mostly inhabited by Afro-Bolivian slaves who worked the sugar cane
plantations. One day the owner of a
plantation was murdered and it was rumored that two slaves did the deed. In fear of their lives, they ran and hid in
the forest. As they were looking for
firewood, they discovered the image of the Virgin stuck in the trunk of a
tree. They prayed that she would
vindicate them. The next morning, they
carried the image back to Cotoca, hoping the authorities would believe their
story. To their joy, the man who had
committed the murder had been caught and coincidentally confessed to the murder
at the exact time that the men found the image.
Other miracles occurred in the
ensuing years, prompting the authorities of Santa Cruz to order the
construction of a shrine to house the image of the Virgin.
I stayed a while in the patio,
but started getting hungry. When Debbie
had taken me here in July of 2015, we had sonso baked on a stick in the
market. I had to find some of that for
my real breakfast. An empanada is just
not enough! The “food court” of the
market has moved since then and is now across the street from the church. I found a stall selling sonso in less than a
minute. This sonso has the consistency
of mashed potatoes and is cheesy, with a crunchy crust. A delicious meal for just 5 Bs.
There is not a lot else to do in
Cotoca, except wander the markets and streets.
By 11:00, it was hot, even when I stayed on the shady side of the
street. But in my wanderings, I realized
there is a lot more to Cotoca than I supposed.
I must go back one day soon, when the weather promises to be cool.
Instead of an expensive 5 Bs.
trufi, I took a 2 Bs. microbus. Every
time you get a chance, you should save $0.45, right?
I remember you taking me to Cocota when I was in Bolivia Dec 1986
ReplyDelete