The people here speak predominantly Quechuan, then Spanish. The high altitude panorama includes grassy highlands (paramo), cloud-forests with medicinal plants, mountain lakes, active volcanoes, colorful market days, and haciendas. The farmers are raising potatoes, corn, beans, alfalfa & other crops across steep hillsides. Besides the new highway, the roads are gravel with deep ruts from the rainy season. While llamas still transport goods, the vehicle of choice is the pickup truck where everyone piles into the cab and flatbed to make rugged journeys around the region. Many women wear the bowler hat brought first to Bolivia by the British Railways in the early 1900s.
