ALSO RECOMMENDED

Serafin M. Coronel-MolinaLonely Planet Quechua Phrasebook2014, PAPER, 228 PAGESThis shirt-pocket guide is a surprisingly thorough introduction to not just the language but also the customs and culture of the Andes.

Sophie D. Coe, Michael CoeThe True History of Chocolate2013, PAPER, 280 PAGESThis scholarly history of pre-Columbian chocolate by these married archaeologists reveals chocolate’s origins as a ceremonial beverage in ancient Olmec and Maya society. The Coes trace the treat’s evolution from a food of the gods to the salons of Europe through the masses to Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Herbert KleinA Concise History of Bolivia2011, PAPER, 360 PAGESFrom prehistory through independence, return of democracy in 1982 and current politics, this is an excellent survey of the Andean nation.

John HemmingConquest of the Incas2003, PAPER, 641 PAGESA masterful, prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. This classic account, by one of the best writers on South America, brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story. With a chronology, family tree, bibliography, notes and references.

Michael ReidForgotten Continent2017, PAPER, 416 PAGESEconomist editor Reid draws on his years in the cities, presidential palaces and shantytowns of Central and South America in this portrait of a region rich in oil, farmland and culture, with consideration on its prospects in the face of globalization.

ESSENTIAL

Kim MacQuarrieLife and Death in the Andes, On the Trail of Bandits, Heroes and Revolutionaries2015, PAPER, 448 PAGESIn this heartfelt meditation on South America and the Andes, MacQuarrie follows the Andes, hot on the trails of legendary characters like Charles Darwin, Pablo Escobar and Che Guevara.

Benjamin OrloveLines in the Water, Nature and Culture at Lake Titicaca2002, PAPER, 287 PAGESWith the author’s photographs and reflections on the relationship of the lake-dwelling fishermen to their environment, this is an illuminating personal account of life in the Andean highlands.

Keith RichardsCulture Smart! Bolivia2009, PAPER, 168 PAGESA concise, no-nonsense guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice.

Daniel JacobsRough Guide Bolivia2018, PAPER, 344 PAGESThis sturdy comprehensive travel guide in the British series includes an excellent historical and cultural overview of Thailand along with extensive listings. An excellent choice.

National Geographic SocietyBolivia Adventure Map2012, MAPA color traveler’s map of the country at a scale of 1:1,250,000. The tear- and water-resistant map includes place index.

READING GUIDE

BOLIVIA

To enhance your travel experience, we’ve compiled a selection of favorite, new, and hard-to-find books about your destination. Feel free to visit your local bookstore or library for your reading materials.

Ann Wright (Translator), Ernesto Che GuevaraThe Motorcycle Diaries, Notes on a Latin American Journey2004, PAPER, 175 PAGESThe adventures of the then-unknown 23-year-old Ernesto “Che” Guevara as he wanders through South America in 1952 with his companion Alberto Granado.

Annamaria AlfieriCity of Silver, A Mystery2011, PAPER, 317 PAGESMother Maria Santa Hilda, Abess of the convent of Santa Isabella de los Santos Milagros in Potosi, is at the center of this satisfying, suspenseful tale, richly set in the 17th-century Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The source of Spanish silver, Potosi was once the largest and wealthiest city in the Americas.

Susan E. Benner (Editor)Fire from the Andes, Short Fiction by Women from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru1998, PAPER, 208 PAGESMostly personal, many of the contemporary stories revolve around peasants, the urban poor and other marginalized members of the Andes society.

Nataniel Aguirre, Sergio Gabriel WaismanJuan de la Rosa, Memoirs of the Last Soldier of the Independence Movement1999, PAPER, 368 PAGESA Bolivian classic, first published in 1885, whose octogenarian narrator looks back on his youth as a soldier in the South American Independence Movement. It’s a historical novel on a grand scale.

Stephen Tapscott (Editor)Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry, A Bilingual Anthology1996, PAPER, 418 PAGESThis scholarly anthology of 400 poems, presented in the original language (Spanish or Portuguese) and English. Selections include poems from Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges.

Guy Tudor (Illustrator), Robert RidgelyThe Birds of South America, The Oscine Passerines, Vol. 11989, HARD COVER, 596 PAGESThis authoritative reference, the most complete guide to South American songbirds, features splendid color illustrations of 700 species, along with detailed range maps and field notes.

Eduardo Galeano, Cedric Belfrage (Translator)Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent1998, PAPER, 317 PAGESThe most wrenchingly beautiful history of plunder and exploitation in Latin America ever written. President Obama has a copy, compliments of Hugo Chavez.

Ramiro MatosThe Great Inka Road2015, HARD COVER, 240 PAGESAn astute collection of essays on the “Qhapaq Nan” (the Great Inca Road), covering its engineering, practical uses and the great civilization that built it. Includes more than 225 full-color illustrations.

William PowersWhispering in the Giant’s Ear, A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia’s War on Globalization2006, PAPER, 288 PAGESPowers chronicles his four years in Bolivia as an aid worker, weaving travel, history, culture and interview into a powerful portrait of Bolivia and its people.

Paul van Lindert, Otto VerkorenBolivia in Focus2009, PAPER, 144 PAGESEssential reading for any traveler to Bolivia, this up-to-date pocket guide introduces the people, politics and culture of the region.

Rebecca Stone-MillerArt of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca2012, PAPER, 224 PAGESThis authoritative and concise illustrated survey of Andean art and architecture covers not only Machu Picchu and additional Inca monuments, but also Chan Chan, Nasca and other archaeological sites and cultures.

Simon LambDevil in the Mountain2006, PAPER, 335 PAGESThis personable memoir of geology and geological field work in the Bolivian Andes is a terrific book, not just for its insights into Bolivia, but also for its contribution to understanding how our planet works.

Pico IyerSun After Dark2005, PAPER, 240 PAGESA splendid collection of reports from the field, ranging from Bolivia to Cambodia, Tibet and Arabia, by the engaging Pico Iyer. The inveterate traveler/talker, pulls in settings that range from the Altiplano to the Arabian desert and Easter Island.