![\"Tejada_Family_010](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mybolivia.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Tejada_Family_010-2.jpg\")
<\/a>\nR to L: My father Hernan, with brothers
\nGonzalo,Ximeno, Carlos, and sister Elvira<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
The first stop is El Chaco, a stone castle that my grandfather built in the 1930s while he was President of Bolivia during the Chaco War, the bloodiest war in Latin American history, fought for oil that never existed. The stories of old veterans and flickering images of the conflict make the undeniable case for a war as senseless as World War I.<\/p>\n
Farther along the winding dirt road is Tiquimpaya, another former family estate from the colonial era. The coca produced here was grown by African slaves. When I meet their descendants, I learn that Bolivia isn\u2019t immune to racism, and that Afro Bolivians are at the very bottom of the social order.<\/p>\n After World War II, Latin America was flooded with European refugees, including many Nazi fugitives. One of the most notorious was Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo \u201cbutcher of Lyon.\u201d He arrived in Bolivia in 1951 with the help of the U.S. government. His first job was at Llojeta, one of my family\u2019s estates.<\/p>\n When I first visited Llojeta, the villagers suspected that I had come to take their land away. When I return, I meet with the town council and we agree to collaborate on a project to rebuild the community\u2019s water system.\u00a0 But, as I learn after\u00a0 years of trying to get the process started, nothing is simple here and there are no easy fixes.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure what the end of the Llojeta story will be, but I\u2019ve found the answer to many of the riddles that have haunted me.\u00a0 The question that remains is, is it really my Bolivia?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every family has its secrets and skeletons. Tracing my family story can help viewers understand how the continent really works\u2026 \u00a0\u00a0 magic realism, but also 500 years of conflict and misunderstanding, exploitation and oppression. On a personal level my journey\u00a0is … Continue reading <\/a>
\nCover of book on the Chaco War<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nMilitary ID issued by the Bolivian Army to Klaus Barbie,
\nunder the name of Klaus Altman<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n