The “cholets” spread to Peru, Chile and Brazil

Last Saturday, the seventh version of the Electro Preste, a party that unites music, tradition and identity in the city of El Alto. The event was held in the brand new Gigante Magnate VIP Room and, for more than eight hours, was animated by 15 artists musicals, fighting cholitas, a morenada band, electro morenos, electro cucumbers and electro kusillos, among other shows.

“It’s a full experience party, lasting over eight hours and has musical, visual, cultural, gastronomic and traditional icons of neo-Andean culture,” said Ivana Alvestegui, one of the organizers of the event, a few hours after its completion.

Since 2016, the Electro Preste festival has been held in the “cholets” of El Alto, unique constructions that mark the architectural trend of neo-Andean architecture.

Cholets, icons of the new Aymara bourgeoisie

Freddy Mamani, creator of this architectural style, mentions that this type of construction is characterized by having up to seven stories, fluorescent colored walls and house from a dance floor to a comfortable apartment. “They are the ‘cholets’, iconic buildings of the new Aymara bourgeoisie, and which expand hand in hand with the buoyant economy of Boliviait states.

These buildings project the city of El Alto “as a urban tourism destinationbecause it has that amalgamation that combines social, cultural, ancestral and also modern elements”, says Delia Bustillos, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Administration program at the Franz Tamayo University, Unifranz.

In 2005Freddy Mamani built the first cholet in the city of El Alto. An elegant building with Andean designs and bright colors, which inside it has a festive room with columns full of mirrorswalls painted as fabrics and ceramics typical of the Andean area.

Mamani’s architectural designs gave the city a “identity” using as inspiration the ancient culture of Tiwanaku. To date, he has already managed to build more than 100 cholets in El Alto, other cities in the country, as well as neighboring countries such as Peru.

“In El Alto (we have built) about 70, but in the interior and exterior of the country we have built just over 100. We were in Juliaca, Peru, but we have returned because of the political issue in that country. We have a construction completed there, as well as in Cobija (Pando), Chile and Brazil. In the future we have projects to be carried out in Argentina and the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo”, Mamani comments.

Freddy Mamani built the first cholet in 2005

Tourist tours with visits to cholets

Currently, Mamani works with the company Turismo El Alto Tour Operator. organize tours open to the public, allowing you to display your works and position itself as an icon of that city.

“We have made an alliance and we launched the tourism of the cholets (…), through tours. There we explain the topic of evolution, the architecture of El Alto or the components that a cholet has”, says Diego Del Carpio, manager of the company Turismo El Alto Tour Operator.

The “cholets” have positioned themselves in the minds of the population. They are a potential reference to develop the oldest tourism: urban.

The visit to these constructions combines the architectural beauty, entertainment, cultural activities, among others. In addition, it is a source of direct income for local inhabitants, according to the purchasing attractions that are presented.

“This type of tourism should influence so that the urban areas plan and seek to be a lot safer, more inclusive and sustainable not only for those who visit them, but also to improve the quality of life of the locals (…)”, says Bustillos.

The interior of the buildings maintains the singularity with the indigenous motifs and the intense colors

There is still much to be done to boost tourism

Mamani, has identified some shortcomings that must be corrected to promote tourism, the challenge is in the organization and development of commercial areas.

“We can work in gastronomy or in textiles. El Alto has potential in artistic labor, but we need to formalize it. We also need a cultural center where tourists can come and buy objects, which they take as souvenirs, as in some countries, ”she reflects.

Bustillos, for his part, assures that the authorities need to strengthen the attention and the urban and tourist planning. “We need to improve and consolidate tourism services and products. It must implement tangible citizen security strategies, it must make the city’s tourist information visible and more accessible; and, above all, it must seek to achieve a joint, coordinated, committed and constant work of public and private actors”.

Tourism is an important source of employment worldwide. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), one in 11 workers are part of an area related to tours and tourist visits.

From the outside, the cholets have a very particular distinctive feature