Sometimes I can’t remember if I’ve defined certain terms sufficiently for the reader. So here are a few terms, phrases, or odds and ends that might be of use. I’ll keep it in alphabetical order, because I’m obsessive about that kind of thing.
Aymara – Bolivian indigenous tribe conquered by the Incas and then the Spanish. Despite being subjugated for hundreds of years, their culture is still very much alive in Bolivia. Their language has the same name.
Bishop - The spiritual leader of a ward, a small group of LDS people organized by neighborhoods. Similar to a pastor or priest in other religions.
Campesino - Someone from the country, the hills, the boonies. In Bolivia, this specifically refers to those of Aymara, Quechua, or other indigenous descent.
Cholita – A woman descendant of any of Bolivia’s indigenous tribes, Quechua, Aymara, etc., who still wears traditional clothing and maintains the traditional lifestyle with all its traditions and customs. There are men, Cholitos, but they are more difficult to identify because they don’t wear skirts.
Copacabana - A small Bolivian town that borders Peru on the western side of the country. It sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake.
Fringe Bolivian – An outsider who is loved and taken care of by a Bolivian family, who considers the outsider as their own child. However, love can’t change skin color, so this outsider, although on the inside, is only on the fringe.
Mestizo - Someone of mixed European and Native American descent. In Bolivia, those of Spanish descent.
Pachumama - Inca goddess, akin to Mother Earth
Quechua - The name given to the people and the language of the Incas. Like the Aymara, their culture has endured even after being conquered by the Spanish.
Religion - A collection of spiritual beliefs intended to instruct, improve, and exalt man.
Ward - In the LDS religion, the most basic unit of organization. The ward is organized by neighborhoods, that is, they are organized so that the people can be close together. They are presided over by the bishop.
