Matchbox Descriptions

Here are some brief descriptions for the Matchbox paintings posted on this site along with a few photos from Bolivia.

I am really hoping that I can give a better understanding of the high valley areas of Chuquisaca, Bolivia. Sucre is the original capital of Bolivia. !Viva Bolivia!

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-Kekoa Rosa

Matchbox paintings A1 - A16

A1 – A3: Campesinos

These are the local campesinos who would gather and haul firewood for my community.
They are all men and they have large bunches of branches and small twigs bound together with either leather rope or rubber straps. They usually carried a machete or ax with them. These men would haul one load and receive somewhere between $.75 - $1.50 depending on size. They often walked for miles bent with a large bunch of twigs. I would often catch them on the dirt roads right out of town with there packs off their backs.

A4 Campesino
This is sort of an abstract of a Campesino dude with a red shawl, rough canvas shorts and top. This captures the feeling of bareness that is often found in the campesinos dirt floors of his home.

A5 &A6 Campesino couple

These are the A-typical Bolivian high-valley Cowboys and Cowgirls known as Campesino’s and Cholita’s respectively. He wears his black felt hat, red bandana, leather rope, coca bag on side, canvas shorts and tire sandals. She wears a finely croqueted white blouse with a pleated purple skirt. She is holding what was to be a dove. I mixed charcoal in the paint for the background.

A7 & A8 Cholita chef and baker

This is any Cholita preparing something on the stone grinder. She crushes her peppers for salsa or “yahwa” and also uses it for grinding spices, corn or wheat. In the back her domed oven throws a white smoke out into the early evening. The crescent moon smiles and a star shines through. A8 is Dona Cholita baking bread. Her pans are made from flattened tin cans. The oven is a domed adobe oven that has a brick or ceramic floor. A fire is started inside the oven. When it is finished burning the coals are pushed to the sides and the bread is inserted. My neighbor made and sold her bread for something like 4 for $.15.

A9 Cholita with bollo hat

This is a cholita with the bolo hat that was made famous by an Englishman who had all these hats that were out of fashion in Europe. Behind her is a colorful weaving that resembles the Indigenous Bolivian flag.

A10 – A12 More Cholitas

These are Bolivian cholitas. Some of the toughest women I have ever met. They all typically wear a hat that can be colorful. They almost always wear their traditional pleated skirt called a Pollera. It is worn with numerous undergarments to make the skirt appear bell shaped. A11 walks down the dirt road. The house behind A12 is an adobe home with a grass roof.

A13 Horse
This is a Bolivian horse parked out in front of an adobe home with a large wooden door.

A14 Collage

This is a collage of the campesinos life. Above are symbols that could mean a lot of things: Passion, family, the unknown. Below that is Christ on a green cross. You have an extremely traditional people who live probably very similar simple lives as did Jesus. Then there are the Campesino family with their oxen that plow the fields, a spring of water and a duck.

A15 Campesino at a party.

I remember really enjoying laying this painting out. On the left is an “Arca”. This is a hanging collection of breads, wines, grapes, cheese, onions and many other things that you would definitely see at all major holidays like Easter and parties for their patron Saints. It symbolizes everything that has given them sustenance and life. It is often celebrated with giving thanks to Pacha Mama (earth mother) by splashing a bit of chicha (corn beer) on the floor and is served from a plastic pail.

Matchbox paintings B1 - B10
B1 Cholita Mollering

I believe this was my first of this design with the cholita’s back to you. Her braided hair is tied together at the back. She stands over her stone and rolls a curved stone over the flat stone to grind her food. The smoke rising from the oven makes a familiar animal; maybe a ox or cow. The afternoon shifts slowly to night.

B2 Virgin on half-shell

This is a statue that can be viewed from the main plaza in Sucre. She stands above a doorway into the only church on the plaza. She stands within an alcove that is half domed above her. She stands upon a shell that sits upon a blue globe with 3 angels. Her coat is blue with gold stars and she wears a thin gold -rimed crown.

B3 Traditional Trabucco Carnival outfit for men
This is the traditional garb worn by men. They wear a leather cap that is hard as rock and resembles the metal hat of a conquistador soldier. Upon the cap are three paper-mache flowers with pistal of wire. The dress is very colorful. He carries a red pouch that he wears under his right arm usually for coca. Not shown here but their shoes are like a wooden clog with long and loud spurs off the back of them.

B4 & right below it B 8 Cholita weavers

Cholita weaving her tapestry. The women in this region are extremely talented with this traditional weaving. Many of the scenes they depict are mythical creatures. The weaving is tedious and all done by hand. The wool is also often hand wound and dyed.


B5 Reed hut
This is a traditional reed grass hut found on the floating islands outside of Puno, Peru on Lake Titicaca. It is completely waterproof and weaved using reeds. The floating islands are numerous layers of stacked reeds. These people make their living traditionally off fishing. The story goes that they once lived on land but left because of constant persecution from invading Quechua and Amarya people.

B6 Campesino

Similar to A5. Black felt hat with black parka and plastic coca bag hanging off his side.

B7 Companion Campesinos

These two campesinos take the local country transportation: their feet and friendship.

B8* Cholita Weaver

Refer to B4

B9 Franciscan church and yard

Traditional Franciscan hacienda style church and yard. I believe the original church was destroyed in an earthquake. They have the feel of the California missions and were placed usually a day’s walk apart from other churches. The bell tower was one of the more impressive towers I have seen. The bells rang for Sunday Mass and other festivals. They always rang a certain way when someone died within the community.
The town plaza sits in front of the church.

B10 Pigs on Lago Titicaca

Pigs are usually free during the day to feed on trash picked over fields. On the lake a fisherman sails his single bright blue triangular sail. A very popular dish especially on the weekends and usually on Sunday is Chicharon. It is a huge cauldron where they deep fry pig parts. Usually served with chicha and corn on the cob.

Matchbox Paintings on Page C
C1 - C16

Painting C1 Sajama

Sajama is Bolivia’s tallest mountain. It sits alone on the high desert called the altiplano. It is covered in snow year-round. Those are sod homes in the front. They are actually made of grass sod and are extremely warm inside. Only one community builds with sod. They live on the altiplano growing quinua and herding llama.

C2 Gnarled tree

Some of these trees in the countryside offer excellent shade for animals and humans. Often times the farmers will store hay in the trees to keep animals away from them.

C3 Plowed field at dusk

I used lots of colors. I made a point to put the Southern Cross in the sky. This was something I always looked for in the evening sky. It often hung low on the southern sky.

C4 Cat on Roof

There is a full moon and I noticed a cat walking along the ridgeline of the roof. I was trying to work with things within the community at night.

C5 Church entrance

This is the entrance to the church within the town I lived. The roof is wood with ceramic tiles. The building is all white. There are reliefs on the wall of the entrance. This is a Franciscan church and is a Mission style church similar to the California Missions. Bolivia’s official religion is Catholicism.

C6 Carnival mask

Carnival is much celebrated throughout Bolivia. All the major cities have their parades of dancers, jugglers, bands, clowns, town officials. They can last a few days as many days are spent practicing in the streets. Water balloon fights are very common. This particular creature mask is supposed to resemble the devil.

C7 Cholita on a stroll

She is walking along a stream in town. This is where she washes herself and her cloths. The mountain is painted red. Many of these areas are full of mineral rich earth that can go from a very dark black dotted with crystals to white chalk fields.

C8 Cholita in town

She wears a maroon shawl and cowgirl hat. She has a pink shirt on with a grey skirt. This is looking down into the town cemetery. The hills here are green so it must be in the wet season.

C9 Oxen with yokes

This is an amazing thing to see. All of the components of a Campesino’s plow are made of wood. These farmers usually carve their own plowing spears often mounting a metal spike at the end if the earth is particularly dry. I never did try this but the farmers who had it down were extremely efficient. During planting the campesino controls his oxen and plow. A cholita will often follow behind with a basket full of seeds planting right behind. I have seen them use these plows once to till a potatoe field. The oxen walked the lanes between the potatoes plants and plants that were accidentally pulled up were quickly replanted by a trailing cholita.

C10 Adobe house with a weaving

I was walking in the countryside and noticed this small adobe hut with grass (paja) roof and sitting up against the house was the most colorful weaving that was not yet completed. I would often see weavings propped up on trees which seems like a perfect place out of the sun.

C11 Fox

I used dabbed the colors on with a fine matchstick. I would often see fox (zorro’s). I never did see a bobcat or larger cat alive anyways. Once I was shown a large cat pelt that my neighbor shot years earlier. They are much more beautiful alive.

C12 Dark man

This is a very dark man. I remember having a really hard time with his eyes.

C13 Cross with Sacred Heart

This is an abstract painting of a cross covered in a white sheet and the Sacred Heart is pouring through in red. I was moved at how the community revolved around the traditions of the church.

C14 Jaguar from Tiawanaku

This is a 4 ft statue of a black stone jaguar that was found at Tiawanaku. This civilization predates the Incas. The Inca civilization had a deep respect for this place. Tiawanaku is located near Lago Titicaca outside of La Paz. It was once surrounded by the waters of the lake but now they have receded. The temple and sun portal are very impressive objects that were once covered in gold. Many of the stones are misplaced or moved.

C15 Sun

The sun is so intense here mainly because the elevations here range anywhere from 5,000 – 8,500 ft. The lines of the mountains mimic those found in these high valleys.

C16 Abstract

This was purely experimental. The scratch marks are actually ballpoint pen. The yellow is actually the paint underneath the gray.