"We live and eat from the land," Juana said.

"Pachamama is our mother and we have to respect her."

Many people burn offerings, hoping Pachamama will bring them good luck, health, fortune and happiness.

Juana offered to make me an offering too.

She began by spreading a base of herbs on a large sheet of paper. Then she started sifting through a box of small rectangular tablets made from sugar. Each one had a symbol on it - a house, a dollar bill, hearts, a star or a book.

She chose one with the outline of a condor, a giant South American bird. It would, she said, bring me positive energy and peace.

 Another, with a picture of a nearby mountain, would bless me on my travels and she added another tablet that she told me would protect my health.

The offering was growing in size.

Next, were walnuts - again for health - sweets shaped like llamas - an animal that is so much a part of life here - more sugar cubes, then llama wool, the clothing of Pachamama.

On top of all this she placed a llama foetus.

If you were to dig up most Bolivian homes, you would find one of these buried beneath the foundations.

They are a gift to Pachamama, a way of apologising for cutting into her. They are an important part of any offering and are said to be very lucky. 

words taken from FULL story by James Ingham can be found at this BBC link

Photos are by DROMOMAN when he visited Bolivia in 2005.