Stencils in Sucre and Cochabamba

Having spent a bit more time walking the streets of Sucre and now Cochabamba I have started observing the graffiti closely. It is one of the benefits of staying in the same place for a while. In Bolivia there is a lot of black, blue and white paint used to support Evo Morales political party Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). These slogans can be seen, ubiquitously, in both obscure campesino hills and throughout the streets of a major cities (though less in the Media Luna area, of course). It is notable that I first thought the painted MAS slogans were guerrilla efforts. It soon became clear that these were is actually a tactic used by Morales. A very organised, "hecho a mano" (handmade), approach to political branding.


Besides the MAS paint jobs there is a lot of graffiti more generally. It is everywhere. Refreshingly I can say that the majority of it is not inspired by the New York “graf” style. Instead it is a mixture of spray-painted slogans (which are brazen and graphically unimaginative) and stencils. Both are found on the walls of both back streets and main streets. I should underscore that this is based on observations made in Sucre and Cochabamba only. Slogans, I would hazard a guess, out-number stencils about twenty to one.


Because there is so much graffiti about the place it would be to much to document it all at once. Therefore, when Sarah and I did a big circuit of the city for purposes of orientation and administration I decided to capture images of stencils (only). I was amazed when I got home. I had amassed about 59 images in total. Stencilling is a lot bigger here than I imagined.

In comparison to slogans the stencils here are slightly more furtive. They hide in corners of buildings and indiscriminate walls. There is a broad amount of content, too. Maybe it is the iconic nature of stencils that has opened up different types of expression in comparison to the usual political, Ebonics or “Jenny-Heart-John” type messages. Whatever the reason it is conspicuous that there is a wide range of flavours on offer.

To make sense of the spectrum of stencils I have attempted to create three categories to classify what is around these two towns. The first is the easy (and not so important) category of “municipal” and “commercial” stencils. Ones which actually have a homemade/handmade feel but are actually put there by the city or private interests.


The second category, equally obvious in a country that has had 188 changes of government in its 500 year history, is “political” stencils. These cover pieces by both activist and political party.



The final category is stencils that are “idiosyncratic" or of "unknown origin." This last category is a little broad and does lead to some overlap with the two aforementioned. Personally I am still trying figure out which I like better: political or idiosyncratic. The former seems more authentic but the latter signals a country that has a distinct youth culture separate from its previous generations.

When you travel there can be a sense that there is not a lot of order. Now that I compile this list I realise that this exercise, this need for categorisation, might be to sate my need for order just as much as the need to look at things for aesthetic pleasure. In any instance I think that looking at this use of public space is a handy way to get a feel for a city and this country. The combination of the amateurish municipal signs, the strong political flavour of Bolivia mixed with a new, contemporary expression in stencils is something that I look forward to reflecting on and seeing more of in my coming travels.

Click here to see a Photobucket slideshow or here for a Facebook collection of the 59 stencils.