Those days I was persecuted and in hiding. The masistas wanted to hang me;... my children were scattered. Weeks before, we were at the barricades, rain or shine,... praying in El Alto;... we could no longer resist so much abuse, the mockery of the sovereign vote of the people... That is why we have begun to organize ourselves ... against that regime, to return democracy to our children...

It is important to preserve the cultural practices of our Bolivian people because they enrich the national identity. My commitment, as a woman in pollera, is to continue fighting for a country united in diversity.