Hi! This isn’t just me being a bad photographer. This is me taking a shot of (foreground) the roof of the jewelry-making factory we’re assessing. They buy gold from Newmont mines in Nevada, import it to this factory (really, all the checkerboard corrugated metal roofs you see in the foreground) where Bolivians make jewelry, and then ship it back to Wal Mart for the Love, Earth line of “socially responsible” jewelry. In the background, left, you can see La Paz creeping up the surrounding mountains. In the background, right, you can see Mt. Illimani, which is an awesome peak.

It’s a national holiday here, though, so we’ve spent more time watching revelers than interviewing rightsholders. Please note this gentleman’s approach to being in the parade and overlook my inability to take a clear photograph.

We’re not just messing around down here. Even though it’s a holiday, the markets are full. We’ve been interviewing every jewelry-maker we can find to get a grasp on the industry.  Bolivian women (and some men) have been making jewelry in La Paz for at least 4 decades, but it used to be a household/family activity. Now factory setups have sprouted (of course). The workers are allegedly treated poorly, though we haven’t been able to verify that yet. El Alto (below), the sister city of La Paz, is a million-person town with the fastest growth rate in Bolivia. There’s money there (see fancy house, left; giant cell phone company advertisement, right; paved roads, center) but crushing poverty, too. Newcomers struggle to find work and take anything they can get.

One awesome jewelry maker has offered to let Blair come visit her home next weekend and see how her jewelry is made. She made these earrings, which I now own. We’ve been procuring a lot of jewelry in these conversations, because it seems horribly rude to take up 45 minutes of a vendor’s time and not buy anything.