(1 Sep 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Paz, Bolivia – 31 August 2025
1. Miraculous tree at La Paz cemetery
2. Various of tree that was struck by lightning
3. Offerings left in the tree
4. People at the tree
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Tania Arce, believer in the Miracle Tree:
"Since I started coming, the little tree has given me many options, meaning, things are going well for me, better than they were, and honestly, I have a lot. I didn’t have much respect or reverence (for it) before, but now I have confirmed that it’s true, this little tree has a lot of energy."
6. Various of people praying in front of the tree and making wishes
7. People leaving offerings
8. Tree
9. Javier Cordero speaking next to the tree
10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Javier Cordero, believer in the Miracle tree:
"But the difference from the other little trees here is that lightning struck this one, and the lightning itself gave it that power, it gave it that magnetism, it gave it that power, it transmitted that energy from the cosmos to the little tree and to our astral (non-physical) plane."
11. Various of offerings
12. Person praying
13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria, no last name given, believer in the Miracle Tree:
"It grants wishes, it’s very miraculous. This is the first time I’ve come, and I’m coming to ask for my son."
Journalist: "For your son’s health?"
Maria: "Yes, health and also his studies. Yes, I would like him to improve a bit more, perhaps. And so, in that way, I am asking it to help me."
14. Cemetery
STORYLINE:
Ten years ago, a solitary pine in La Paz’s cemetery survived a lightning strike, leaving it with a deep scar but also, according to a growing number of devotees, miraculous powers.
This "miracle tree" or "wish tree" is now a vibrant site of pilgrimage, attracting believers who venerate it like a living saint.
Visitors leave offerings of coins, flowers, sweets, and heartfelt letters in the tree’s crevices, seeking everything from love and health to employment and the return of lost pets.
The tree’s mystique is deeply rooted in Andean cosmovision, particularly Aymara beliefs, where surviving a lightning strike is thought to grant divinatory powers.
Anthropologists note that La Paz is a city rich in religious syncretism, blending European Christian faith with ancient Andean traditions, including the reverence for Pachamama, or Mother Earth.
Devotees like Tania Arce, who brings offerings and speaks of the tree like a child, claim it has fulfilled her requests and even cured serious illnesses for others.
Another first-time visitor, Maria, heard about the tree on TikTok and came to pray for her son’s health and academic success.
The site’s popularity highlights a thriving blend of traditional and modern beliefs in Bolivia, particularly during August, a month dedicated to Pachamama offerings.
AP video shot by Carlos Guerrero
Production: Victor R. Caivano
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