My Second Easter in La Paz

4. April 2010 by Fortunato Velasquez.

A year ago I walked the 12 stations of the cross around the city beginning at 8AM and finishing around noon with my host mother.  I had never noticed before but there are actually 12 stations placed at strategic points around the city in a large square comprising several city blocks of the downtown area.  On Good Friday thousands of citizens led by the parish priests and acolytes form a procession and begin at the church steps to commence a march with a stop before each station of the cross where the procession stops to pray (please see my entry from April 2009 for pics).  It was unbearably HOT a year ago so I decided to wait until the procession came to an end in front of the church this year to take pics.  I was too late.  The procession had just ended when I arrived at the church.   The photos, consequently, are of the clean-up after thousands of people had already walked over the dozens of alfombras that are carefully constructed by legions of believers the day before.  The alfombras are constructed over several hours using brightly colored sawdust, much like Tibetan or Hopi sand paintings.  And like the former, their existence is transitory.  As is our own existence on earth.

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