Struck by lightning during a roaring thunderstorm 10 years ago, an ancient pine tree in Bolivia’s capital of La Paz is thriving.
Known as the “miracle tree,” this giant conifer now draws devotees from across the country to La Paz’s largest public cemetery, founded two centuries ago on a pre-Columbian burial plot. Pilgrims stream through the alleys bearing offerings – coins, flowers, sweets, handwritten disclosures of secret wishes – to stuff into bark crevices.
On a chilly afternoon last week during the throes of an election season, pilgrims made their way to the miracle tree through the winding alleys of the cemetery packed with over 200,000 graves, many belonging to decorated soldiers and dignitaries.
As Bolivia is now heralding the end of almost two decades of leftist rule under its first Indigenous president, Evo Morales, and his successor, even electoral drama and economic collapse seemed eclipsed by other concerns for devotees of the miracle tree.
“People ask for love, work, health, children, even to bring back their lost pet,” explained Javier Cordero, who leads funeral prayers at the cemetery. “If the person comes with a lot of faith, the tree will fulfill their wishes.”
Some of the devotees were young, having recently discovered the story of the tree on TikTok.
