Examples Of Social Stratification In Bolivia

On a four week missionary trip to Bolivia, South America, I was able to see a type of social stratification in real-time. Because I am a self-proclaimed cheer leader for the underdog, inequality advocate of sort and strong people lover, it left me with a sense of awe, bewilderment, and unbelief. My observations were that the indigenous people (natives) of Bolivia very rarely interacted with other Bolivians. Many of the natives held jobs that no one else wanted. They seemed to be very kind people who did what they had to do to make a living. If they had to walk through the streets selling pencils, they would. Many of their norms were very unusual for me. For instance, it was not unusual to see street children who had been abandoned by their parents sleeping under benches in the mornings. Also, it was not unusual to see a gated four-bedroom home, which is what I lived in while there, in the same neighborhood as a single dwelling home without glass windows.
One of the subjects explored was deviance. In the United States is considered deviant behavior to sell any items make from the cocoa leaf (used for making cocaine) on the streets and in products purchased on store shelves. In Bolivia it is very normal. Standing in one of plazas one afternoon, I was offered to purchase several cocoa leaves. In the stores you are able to purchase cocoa enhanced tea and chewing gum. It is a product that can be used to settle upset stomachs. As I recall from history, this products was also a norm in the United States many, many years