The People
Vacas, located in the Cono Sur (South cone) of Cochabamba with altitudes ranging from 3,400 m to 4,420 m, has a rural character. The peasants cultivate potatoes, wheat, barley, broad bean and oat. The fields are prepared with the help of yokes of oxen. In addition, cows, sheep, pigs and hens are kept.
The people are predominantly indigenous citizens of Quechuan descent. In this place Andean customs and the Quechua culture including the usage of Quechua, a Native American language, still play an important part in daily life as well as in several other communities of the Cochabamba Department. According to census 2001 Quechua was spoken by 6,668 of the 12,511 residents of the municipality and Aymara, another Native American language used in Bolivia, by 13 residents. Today many of the Quechua people here are bilingual: They can communicate in Spanish, too. Yet the women are less accustomed to the Spanish language than the men. Many of them speak Quechua exclusively.
The latest results about the ethnic-linguistic composition of the population are as follows:
| Ethnic group | % |
|---|---|
| Quechua | 94.4 |
| Aymara | 0.2 |
| Guaraní, Chiquitos, Moxos | 0.0 |
| Not indigenous | 5.4 |
| Other indigenous groups | 0.1 |
| Language | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| Quechua | 11,662 |
| Aymara | 39 |
| Guaraní | 2 |
| Another native | 2 |
| Spanish | 4,236 |
| Foreign | 11 |
| Only native | 7,540 |
| Native and Spanish | 4,131 |
| Only Spanish | 106 |
Regarding medical services there are five local health offices and one medical center available in the municipality now to promote the people's quality of life. At the time of census 2001 an average life expectancy of only 52.9 years at birth was measured.
Read more about this topic: Vacas Municipality
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