Sorata (

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

: ''Surat'a'') is a small town in the La Paz Department in the

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, northwest of the city of

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

and east of

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, ...

. It is the seat of the

Larecaja Province Larecaja is a province in the Bolivian La Paz Department. It was founded by Antonio José de Sucre on October 18, 1826. Its capital is Sorata. Geography The Cordillera Real traverses the province. Some of the highest peaks of the province ar ...

and the

Sorata Municipality Sorata Municipality (Aymara: ''Surat'a'') is the first municipal section of the Larecaja Province in the La Paz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Sorata. The Illampu - Janq'u Uma massif is located within the municipality, site of the 17th hi ...

. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 2,217.World-Gazetteer
/ref> It is a somewhat popular weekend getaway and a relaxing base camp for a growing number of

hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

s. It includes several small hotels, including a converted Italian mansion.

History

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

days, Sorata provided a link to the Alto Beni

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

fields and

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

plantations, and a gateway to the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

. 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

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

s above the town, and when these had been filled with runoff from the slopes of the nearby peak

Illampu Illampu is the fourth highest mountain in Bolivia. It is located in the northern section of the Cordillera Real, part of the Andes, east of Lake Titicaca. It lies just north of the slightly higher Janq'u Uma, near the town of Sorata. Laguna ...

, they opened the floodgates and the town was washed away.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. 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 An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

reserves. It is said that during world war 2, many immigrants from the war came to this city.

Cityscape

Sorata is no longer a major commercial center, as there is now a more direct route to the

Yungas The Yungas (Aymara ''yunka'' warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua ''yunka'' warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a bioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru and Bolivia, and extends into ...

from

. 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 Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...

trading family. Sorata is located at the base of the mountains

, 6,368 m (20,892 ft), and

Janq'u Uma Ancohuma or Janq'u Uma (Aymara ''janq'u'' white, ''uma'' water, "white water", also spelled Janq'uma, other spellings, ''Jankho Uma'', ''Jankhouma'') is the third highest mountain in Bolivia (after Sajama and Illimani). It is located in the no ...

, 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 Illimani (Aymara) is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes) of western Bolivia. It lies near the cities of El Alto and La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano. It is the secon ...

, 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.

Climate

Sorata features an unusual

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

, with oceanic elements and high levels of diurnal temperature variation.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in La Paz Department (Bolivia)