New Heights in El Alto and Transformed Spaces

Authors

  • Gloria Villarroel Salgueiro PachaKamani

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/bsj.2025.364

Keywords:

Cable Car, Red Line, commerce, transportation, urban space, El Alto

Abstract

The implementation of the cable car system in the city of El Alto significantly transformed the urban dynamics, producing processes of articulation and interaction that transcend the incorporation of new infrastructure. Its presence has reconfigured the landscape and driven economic, social, and cultural changes, generating new interpretations within the collective imaginary of the social groups that inhabit—permanently or seasonally—the areas surrounding the stations. This research corresponds to the moment when some of the cable car lines began operating while others were still under construction. This article focuses on the panorama articulated by the most emblematic line: the Jach’a Qhathu or Gran Feria, better known as the Red Line. However, given the impact of the other lines, references to the Blue Line are also included in order to offer a more complete picture of the context studied. The experiences of the people interviewed reflect these new interactions, which nevertheless remain deeply rooted in the Aymara identity. Their testimonies show how the coexistence of tradition and modernity is being redefined and revitalized with the arrival of this cable transport system.

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Published

2025-12-11

Issue

Bolivian Studies Journal Vol. 31, 2025

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Gloria Villarroel Salgueiro

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