Sorata

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For other uses, see Sorata (disambiguation).
Sorata
Panoramic view of Sorata
Panoramic view of Sorata
Sorata is located in BoliviaSorataSorata
Location within Bolivia
Coordinates: 15�46'S 68�38'W
Country Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia
Department Flag of La paz.svg La Paz Department
Province Larecaja Province
Municipality Sorata Municipality
Canton Sorata Canton
Elevation 8,786 ft (2,678 m)
Population (2001)
� Total 2,217
Sorata is a small town in the La Paz Department in the Bolivian Andes, northwest of
the city of La Paz and east of Lake Titicaca. It is the seat of the Larecaja
Province and the Sorata Municipality. At the time of census 2001 it had a
population of 2,217.[1]

It is a somewhat popular weekend getaway and a relaxing base camp for a growing
number of hikers. It includes several small hotels, including a converted Italian
mansion. In colonial days, Sorata provided a link to the Alto Beni goldfields and
rubber plantations, and a gateway to the Amazon Basin. In August 1781 it was the
site of an unorthodox siege by the nephew of Tupac Amaru, Andres, and his 16,000
soldiers. They constructed dikes above the town, and when these had been filled
with runoff from the slopes of the nearby peak Illampu, they opened the floodgates
and the town was washed away.[2][3] The citizens of Sorata have, in recent history,
violently opposed what they see as the rule of a too centralised government. For
example, in the summer of 2005, the town was blockaded and inaccessible for several
days in response to the government's plans to privatise Bolivia'a oil reserves.
[citation needed]

Sorata2.jpg
Sorata is no longer a major commercial center, as there is now a more direct route
to the Yungas from La Paz. Today it is best known to foreign tourists, trekkers,
and climbers, who visit this formerly little-known destination. The main square,
Plaza General Enrique Penaranda, is Sorata's showcase. It is graced by towering
date palms and immaculate gardens. The main town fiesta is held on September 14. Of
note is Casa Gunthere, a historic mansion that now houses the Residencial Sorata.
It was built in 1895 as the home of the Richters, a quinine trading family.

Sorata1.jpg
Sorata is located at the base of the mountains Illampu, 6,368 m (20,892 ft), and
Janq'u Uma, 6,427 m (21,086 ft), which are the northern anchors of the Cordillera
Real. By the most reliable figures, Janq'u Uma is 11 m (36 ft) lower than Illimani,
near La Paz, but surveys in the area are imperfect, and there is much debate
between the citizens of both areas as to which mountain is higher.

External links
Official Sorata Website
References
World-Gazetteer
Deanna Swaney, Robert Strauss, Bolivia (Second Edition), Lonely Planet, 1992.
The siege is mentioned in Herbert S. Klein, Bolivia: the evolution of a multi-
ethnic society (second edition), Oxford, 1992; however that book makes no mention
of the tactic of flooding the town.