I did some researche on the internet but could not find very much. At least I did not find very much that sounded credible but that should not get in the way of a good story.
The tale repeated the most is that in the 1920's, a British railway company had hundreds of bowler hats shipped over from Italy for its railway workers. When the hats got to La Paz, they were found to be too small for the average worker. Rather than ship them back, the British put them on the local market where they became a best seller. They continued to sell well and the Italian manufacturer received and shipped orders directly to stores in La Paz.
The hats, known as "bombin". are worn by women of the Aymara , a colorful and distinct minority. The vast majority of Bolivian women wear western dresses and the younger women wear blue jeans and the latest fashion. But for those who do wear the bombin , they make their own fashion statement with the quality and height of the hat. The hat can also make other statemennts. Based on where the hat is positioned on a women's head, it tells whether the wearer married or single, In the picture above, a scene I saw repeated many times: mother in traditional outfit; daughter in bluejeans,
Danger Ahead
Now here is something I learned the hard way: Aymara women do not like having their picture taken. Second lesson : they have pretty good pitching arms. I was in a cab my last day in La Paz ready to photograph the streets of the city. From my taxi window, I saw this women fruit seller. I took her picture but my flash went off accidently . She saw the flash and started shouting at me. She hurled a cherry which just clipped the top of the window and then an apple which clipped the window frame. Her friend joined her in yelling at me. My taxi driver seemed in another world and did not move at first. The things you learn with your camera.
This lady did not hurl objects at me. I liked her,
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