Mothers Day in Bolivia

Readers:

Even in times of political conflict, in Bolivia as in most places, regular life goes on. And this week that means Mother's Day in Bolivia. Here's a Blog from Leny Olivera and Aldo Orellana on what that looks like.

Jim Shultz


May 27th, Mother’s Day in Bolivia

Mother’s day in Bolivia is remembered and celebrated by many in different places of the city and the countryside. Typically kids in elementary schools invite their mothers to the school and for a few hours dedicate tender songs and typical Bolivian dances to their mothers. All of this is done with a lot of happiness and delight, a characteristic of the “wawas,” which in Quechua means kids. High schools also celebrate mother’s day, but in a different manner, usually with a present and a meal, according to the economic possibilities of the students. Traditional dances are also performed to please the mothers.

In the streets near the markets and schools, flower venders spread their posts all over the place. One finds not only flowers but also greeting cards, and small gifts at discounts as well as for all wallet sizes. A traditional area where one finds in abundance all of those mentioned above is the famous “Correo,” an area adjacent to the Bolivian Post Office building, thus the name “Correo.” Here one finds traditional handicrafts, books of all subjects, and on dates such as today, a profusion of gifts from dirt-cheap to exceedingly expensive.

This place is located in the center of the city, in the important intersection of Ayacucho Avenue and Heroínas de la Coronilla Avenue, names in honor of May 27th and Mother’s Day. Of course these are not random names since Mother’s Day in Bolivia comes with it a historical root.

A Little Bit of History

Back in 1812, when Latin America found itself in the full process of liberation from the Spanish Crown, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, important events took place. History tells us that General Goyeneche, sent by the King of Spain to crush armed uprisings of the revolution, after defeating in two occasions the rebellion army in the valley of Cochabamba, on his way South, came across one last army.

But on this occasion, the army was a group of women with their kids and elders that were organized under the command of Josefa Manueal Gandarillas, a blind woman beyond her 60s. The slogan of the resistance was “For the Defense of Our Homes.” This army armed with sticks, saucepans, and other small weapons positioned themselves on the hill of San Sebastián, from where in those times one was able to observe the small city of Cochabamba. And it was there that the predictable happened. On May 27th, 1812, Goyeneche’s army massacred hundreds of women leaving behind a path of pain and grief, but also hope. A heroic seed was sown by these women. The “Heroinas de la Coronilla” (Heroines of the Hill) would be the legacy that today permits the celebration of Mother’s Day in Bolivia.

On this hill in 1926, after more than 100 years, a monument was mounted in honor of the Heroines of the Hill. A year later, a law was made to formally recognize May 27th as mother’s day in Bolivia. For many, especially those in Cochabamba, it is a very special day.

Today the hill of San Sebastián as well as the monument atop it are both abandoned. Various municipal administrations have given more importance to things other than historical restoration. Last Saturday a resident of the area spoke through popular radio CEPRA:

“No one remembers the Hill, the mayors, the prefects have focused on paving residential roads and embellishing other places such as the Cristo de la Concordia monument located on the San Pedro hill. That place even has a cable car and is very well maintained...while the San Sebastián hill, maybe because of discrimination for being in a humble zone, but where the Heroines are, nothing is done...a lot of indigenous people live in the area and already many important pieces (of the monument) have been stolen from this cultural heritage.”

Certainly the demands of many citizens is not without reason, historical memory is important and ever more so when it relates to women’s struggles, since generally such struggles are not mentioned in history.

Different views of mother’s day

With the desire to capture voices directly from the mothers, for a few minutes we ventured out to streets nearby our office in Cochabamba.

On the corner we came across Mrs. Rosalía Condori, whom for two years along with her kids, has been selling sweets from a small cart. Mrs. Rosalía live with her partner and have two kids.

What does Mother’s Day, May 27th, mean for you?

Well, May 27th is a day for all the mothers and there are some that celebrate it but not me...we live it just like any other day. We don’t do anything special, we work just like normal.

What would you like to see happen on that day?

I don’t know, everything is expensive, one can’t do anything in this life. Everything has gone up (prices), one can’t buy anything. If I didn’t work that day, I wouldn’t be able to bring home (food) for my kids, it’s the only income I have, I have to go out to sell even on holidays. We only rest on Sundays in order to take my kids for a walk, but all the other days, Monday through Saturday, I work from 8am to 8pm.

After talking with Mrs. Rosalía, we walked a few steps until we arrived at a salteña (a very delicious type of salty pie typical of Cochabamba) and confectioner’s shop. We came across María Teresa Vaca Reza, a student of Business Administration at the local university. Together with her mother, the two make and sell all kinds of baked goods.

What does Mother’s Day, May 27th, mean for you?

For me, it is a day where one pays homage to all the mothers for the sacrifice they make on behalf of their sons and daughters, for all the things they have given them...affection...food...visits, etc.

And what do you do on this special day?

I try to make her feel the best that I can, not just this day but everyday of the year. And always show her that we love her very much and that she will always be in our lives and that we will never leave her. On that day we cook for her, we give her a gift, we try to take her out for a walk. But not just that day, but it is important to always show the mothers that we love them very much, every day.

And does your mom take a break from work that day?

Well, on mother’s day there is always a lot of orders for cakes and other things...on the contrary, there’s more work that day...

Afterwards, turning the corner to another street, we find ourselves in front of an institute that teaches English. Entering the institute, we stopped to talk with Mrs. Patricia Matamoros, who works as the cashier at the institute.

What does Mother’s Day mean for you?

For me it is like any other day because in reality everyday we should always be with the mothers and not just that day, give her all the affection, help her in everything....Make her feel good about everything, I do that with my mother and hope that my kids would do the same with me.

And what do you do on this day?

At all costs I request a leave from my work, obviously it is a bit hard because they don’t give it to you easily, so then I request it as a vacation leave...so much insisting that they give us a few hours in order to unite with the family and to all be together.

And are you coming to work tomorrow (May 27th)?

Here at the institute on mother’s day, we have to come to work for at least 3.5 hours, minimum...before we used to not have to come...

So, that’s Mother’s Day here in Bolivia, celebrated and remembered with much jubilation. Though just like any other holiday such as Christmas and New Years, this day is marked with an intense bombardment of commercial products such as gifts and services such as lunches or concerts. Which in turn delineates a big economic difference between the distinct realities of the mothers here in Bolivia. While some mothers, without a doubt deserving it, celebrate with her husband and all her kids in their country home out on the patio enjoying a delicious BBQ accompanied by red wine, others take advantage of the day to sell a little bit more on the streets of Cochabamba, and make a few extra cents in order to buy a few extra pieces of bread for their kids.


Written by Aldo Orellana and Leny Olivera and translated by Yi-Ching Hwang