Aiquile

The charango is a small ten-stringed lute developed in the Andes after the Spanish brought stringed instruments, originally with a soundbox made from an armadillo shell and now almost always carved from a single block of wood, and Aiquile is where the best ones are made: workshops in the town have built them for generations, and the instrument is central enough to local identity that a national charango fair and competition is held here each November, drawing makers and players from across the country and beyond. A charango museum displays historic instruments including armadillo-shell examples. Workshops can be visited on ordinary days. The town was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1998 and rebuilt, and it is otherwise a quiet valley place.

Highlights

• Charango workshops - instruments carved from single blocks of wood.
• The charango museum - historic instruments including shell-bodied ones.
• The November fair - the national competition and makers' market.
• The valley town - the rebuilt centre after the 1998 earthquake.

When to go

Early November for the fair, which is when the town is full of makers and music. Workshops work year round on ordinary weekdays. April to October gives the best roads.

Practical notes

Outside the fair the town is very quiet and the interest is limited to workshops and the museum. Armadillo-shell instruments are historic; buying new ones made from shells is not appropriate. The road from Cochabamba is long. Facilities are basic.

Nearby

Totora lies northwest; Sucre is southeast.

Key facts