Coca leaves remain a source of work, faith and identity in Bolivia
Associated Press
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FILE - Spiritual guide Julio Quispe performs a ceremony with coca leaves for a confederation of Indigenous governing bodies in La Paz, Bolivia, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)FILE - People burn offerings that include coca leaves in honor of "Pachamama," or Mother Earth, on La Cumbre, a mountain considered sacred where a statue of Jesus Christ stands on the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, Aug. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)Farmer Tomas Zavala stands in his coca field in the Yungas region, near Tocana, Bolivia, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)FILE - Farmers harvest coca leaves in Los Yungas region, on the outskirts of Trinidad Pampa, a coca-producing area of Bolivia, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)FILE - A person puts coca leaves into the mouth of a decorated, human skull on display at the General Cemetery, as an offering during the annual "Natitas" festival, a tradition marking the end of the Catholic holiday of All Saints in La Paz, Bolivia, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)FILE - Demonstrators chew coca leaves prior to marching to the capital, in Caracollo, Bolivia, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)FILE - A statue of St. Joseph, flowers and balloons adorn an altar inside a legal coca leaf market marking the National Day of Chewing Coca Leaf, in La Paz, Bolivia, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)FILE - People sit around blankets covered with coca leaves as they mark the National Day of Chewing Coca Leaf in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)A vendor smiles while working at a legal coca leaf market in La Paz, Bolivia, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)FILE - Dionicio Limachi spreads coca leaves after removing them from a coca-drying oven in Trinidad Pampa, a coca-producing area in Bolivia, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
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FILE - Spiritual guide Julio Quispe performs a ceremony with coca leaves for a confederation of Indigenous governing bodies in La Paz, Bolivia, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
