March 01, 2008 | Pulitzer Center Donate Now Unloading bags of coca from a passenger bus in front of Villa Fatima coca market in La Paz. In the hope of attracting a buyer, a cocalera (coca farmer) from Los Yungas displays her recent harvest. A potential buyer examines a handful of leaves from one grower's crop. A TV helps cocaleros pass the time while waiting for their harvest to be weighed. One full bag of coca leaves weighs 23 kilograms (50 lbs). A cocalero labels a bag of coca leaves that has just been weighed. A full bag of coca is taken downstairs for a buyer. A prospective buyer pauses in the hallway of the market. A stained glass window displays a coca leaf over the Wiphala, a flag of the indigenous peoples of Bolivia. Growers from the community of Coripata wait for potential buyers. Entire families come to La Paz to sell their coca. Some cocaleros pass the time with a nap while waiting for their harvest to be weighed. Children play on top of bags of coca. A blackboard lists the current prices of coca, based on the quality of the harvest. A buyer counts his money as he prepares to purchase several bags from one cocalero. Coca is taken to a waiting vehicle outside the market. A pick-up truck piled high with bags of coca outside Villa Fatima market.
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