History
It is believed that in the pre-columbine era, men from Cliza were known as "Sapanas" (quechua for braid), given that they wore their hair in a long braid. The Sapana men used to live in Sach'amoqo, abundant of green pastures, next to crystal clear springs, under the bluest sky. Manco Kapac's descendants farmed this land and practiced the three Inca commands: Ama quella (Do not be lazy), Ama llulla (Do not lie), and Ama sua (Do not steal), as well as the ayni. When the Spaniards arrived, the name Sach'amoqo was changed to Valle de Elisa because, it is said that when they took over the Tawantinsuyu and asked the Quechuas for the sapanas tribe's name, they answered "It's the tribe of the Lisas (Quechua for brave, surly)". The name was then changed to Valle de Cliza when the Spanish crown offered the town's lands as a gift to Pedro Ximenes de Vargas in 1595. When Pedro Ximenes de Vargas died, his daughter Francisa Vargas inherited the lands, who upon her death, left in her will that the lands go to the Santa Clara Monastery. This event resulted in the final formation of el Valle de Cliza. In September 21st of 1912, Dr. Eliodoro Villazon Montano founded Cliza as a province by law. Later in 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Gualberto Villarroel modified the title of Provincia Cliza for Provincia German Jordan in honor of his son, illustrious, fallen soldier of the Chaco War.Education
The school system in Cliza is the same of Bolivia. Children begin pre-school around 4 years old to then spend 5 years in elementary school which ends in 5th grade. Intermediate education follows elementary school and includes grades 6,7,8. Lastly, high school or secondary school 1ro de secundaria to 4to de secundaria (grades 9,10,11,12 in America). Cliza does not have universities, therefore, the students who wish to pursue higher education, must move to the city of Cochabamba or other departments. Based on a survey and census from 1992 it was found that approximately 23.6% of the population was illiterate. However, these percentages may have significantly changed due to Mr. President's Evo Morales Ayma's program "Yo Si Puedo" in 2006. The program sought to end illiteracy specially in rural areas, to help adults over 50 years old who predominantly spoke quechua and worked arduous jobs in the field.Gastronomy and Tourism
Cliza is mainly known for its famous "Pichon a la brasa" (grilled baby pigeon/squab) which is served with fideo (macaroni) con mani, chuño (freeze-dried potato), potato and onion and tomato. Pichon a la brasa is found, Monday through Sunday, outside of El Mercado Principal. Though Pichon a la brasa is Cliza's main dish, other typical foods include: pique macho, fideos uchu, salchipapas, pacumutus, anticuchos, picana and chicha. The following are the descriptions of the more meticulous dishes from the list. *Notable people
* Ramiro Numbela: Highly respected artist. Mr. Numbela made the well-known sculpture from the plaza. He has contributed to several different projects included the "Parque Cretaceo", the statues from Arbieto, and sculpted the dinosaurs for the "Parque de Huellas de Dinosaurio from ToroToro" or Bolivia's Jurassic Park. * David Ferrufino Zurita: Mr. Ferrufino is the most well known mechanic and welder from Cliza, though his name is vastly known in other towns from Santa Cruz and other departments. Born in 1941, he emigrated to Argentina at age 15 and specialized in welding; he worked for the biggest ship company from Argentina at the time, Aliscafo. He worked for the Aliscafo company for nearly 35 years to then return to his native Bolivia and open his own mechanic shop. There is no one in Cliza who does not know of Mr. Ferrufino for he has helped even the most hopeless customer, a lady who got her ring stuck on her finger. His specialty is making seed-sowing equipment for tractors from scratch, using scrap metals from his shop.References
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