While in La Paz, Bolivia I was looking forward to seeing this small unusual museum, especially after a bout of altitude sickness in Peru that had me chewing on coca leaves for days. The museum is on calle Linares, and lucky for us it was down the block from our hostel. Like many shops and restaurants in La Paz, the museum is located inside an alcove hidden in between buildings and back alleys. It is on the second floor of what looks like a residential home. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a man who looked confused to see visitors who were so uncharacteristically on time for the opening of the museum. He turned on the lights and opened its doors for us. After his brief statement about the museum, he offered us some coca leaves which visitors are free to chew on during their visit. The museum consists of one large room with many displays covered in pictures and text, as well as a few small artifacts. There may not be much in comparison to other more elaborate museums, but they certainly are not as provocative. The information dedicated to this small leaf, is hard to find anywhere else.
The coca leaf is a very important part of Andean culture, and the plant was seen as sacred by the Incas. It is believed that people in the Andes have used coca leaves since 2500BC after traces of the leaf were found in mummified bodies in the ruins of Northern Peru. The oil of the plant was used to remove tumors and prevent the body from physical discomfort. Today many people continue to use the plant, in particular those who live in the highlands. While traveling around the Andes we saw many people chewing on these leaves which are said to relieve altitude sickness. The coca leaf stimulates the respiratory centers, allowing more oxygen to absorb in your body, especially helpful for those of us who aren’t born with the larger lung capacity of people who live in high altitudes. It is also believed that the leaf regulates metabolism of glucose and contains nutritious qualities similar to quinoa and wheat.
During colonization, the Catholic Church first banned the use of this leaf but later recognized its medicinal purposes. This sudden change of heart most likely had more to do with the increase productivity of the native workforce that chewed the leaf rather than concern for people’s health.  The curator of the museum explained how the colonists abused workers by relying on the plants increased productivity, as well as lowered appetite.
Fast forward hundreds of years and you get to 1863, the beginning of the legal cocaine boom. The coca leaf is made up of various alkaloids, one of which we know as cocaine. Cocaine is made when you extract the alkaloid from the coca leaf. The trade of cocaine first started after chemists visited the region and saw the popularity of the coca leaf among people that live in high altitudes. The first purpose of cocaine was of course medicinal, but it soon became used for other forms of entertainment.
A French chemist name Angelo Mariani used coca leaves from Peru to make his wine vin Mariani. It was essentially cocawine and contained about 6mg of cocaine per ounce of wine. The ethanol in the wine helped extract the cocaine from the coca leaves. Another pharmacist by the name of John Pemberton also included coca leaves in the drink he created, which later helped create one of the most successful companies in history. Coca-Cola’s original purpose was not as a soft drink, but rather medicine that relieved exhaustion and headaches. The original recipe of Coca-Cola did have traces of cocaine (9mg per ounce), but they changed its recipe around 1903 when people began to worry about the effect of the drug. Some say the drink didn’t become completely cocaine free until 1929. Coca-Cola became wildly popular around the time of prohibition, when Americans were forbidden to drink alcohol. Today Coca-Cola continues to use coca leaves that have been “spent,” meaning they no longer have traces of cocaine. Their manufacturing plant imports the coca leaf to the US, but don’t try doing the same. Don’t even think about bringing back coca leaf tea, if you live in the US, unless you want to spend some time with airport security. The Stephen Company manufacturing plant, is only company allowed to import coca leaves of any kind, so drink up all your coca tea in Bolivia.
The Coca Museum was created by doctors, sociologists, anthropologists, and various institutions in order to create awareness about the coca leaf and its derivative cocaine. Drug use in Bolivia has only increased in high numbers since preventative drug laws were enacted, however the coca leaf is not considered a drug, in essence it isn’t much different than the popular stimulant in the US, a cup of jo. The curator of the Coca Museum made it very clear that the coca leaf is not cocaine (which needs to be created in a lab), but rather a natural remedy and tradition that has lasted for many years.
This guy doesn’t look so good. Reminds me of the Bolivian version of the D.A.R.E. program. Just say no to drugs or you’ll end up looking like this guy.
Image of Coca-Cola and Mariani Wine via: Coca Museum and Wiki.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi. How much is the entrance fee for this museum?
Hello Gringa,
From what I remember we paid around 10 bolivianos (maybe 7 or so for students with ID cards) which comes out to around $1.50 American dollars. Not bad. It is definitely worth a visit. It isn’t an extensive museum but the content is very interesting.
Cool. What does the thought bubble on top of the dummy’s head say?