By: Noemi Gamel

What would happen if the mayor of your city declared that for one day motor vehicles were not allowed on the road? You could not drive or ride a bus, car, or motorcycle. The only way you could get from one place to the other was walking, biking, or skating.

I can tell you that this would not have flown over well in any of the cities where I have lived in the US. Revolts would certainly have ensued. Nevertheless, that was not the case in Sucre, Bolivia. One fine, sunny Sunday morning, we walked into the main square for Salteñas and noticed there were no cars on the street. People walked in the middle of the roads. Children rode their bikes on the street without a care in the world. We thought perhaps there was a race or event so the streets were closed off. When we got to the main plaza, we found out what was happening. The city was celebrating “Día del Peatón” or Day of the Pedestrian. No motor-operated vehicles were allowed until 6 pm that day!

In the Main Plaza, the festivities went beyond simply not driving a car. Music, food stands, street soccer games, and jump rope competitions turned the main square into one big party. Tristan joined one of the soccer games and had a blast. After he got a few kicks in, we walked to the Cemetario General where we learned about the history of Sucre in the context of the families buried in the cemetery.

We had a lovely time that day. I was left with the feeling of wishing that in the future, any city where I live can do something similar.