Quillacollo - City of Bolivia

Quillacollo is the capital of Quillacollo Province, Bolivia.

Quillacollo City is one of the various provincial capitals around Cochabamba City, which are increasingly swallowed by the extending perimeter of "greater" Cochabamba .

Quillacollo is linked to the city of Cochabamba through the Avenida Blanco Galindo, a particularly busy stretch on the main national highway. Quillacollo is mostly a market town with a sizable agricultural hinterland, but also hosts some relevant industry and a district court which supports a relevant population of lawyers.

The Virgen de Urkupiña festival is annually held in August. It is officially dubbed the "Festival of National Integration" and sees a host of different activities, ranging from an extended folkloric spectacle, over a central Mass, generally attended by the Bolivian president and other authorities, to a huge popular pilgrimage in the course of which people profess their Catholic faith, but also engage in rituals which are commonly seen as standing in an uneasy relationship with Catholic orthodoxy at best, or being outright pagan. People pray and offer promises to the Virgin of Urkupiña for money, health and luck. People greet pachamama with alcohol and food, burying or spilling it on the floor. A curious rite held on this festivity is extracting rocks from a hill near the sanctuary of the Virgin, whether the rock is big or small, it has to be taken home with the people who cracked the rocky hill to get it, who must return it the next year, as a symbolic act to ask the Virgin to lend them something like health, money, luck etc.

The architecture of the city has a post-colonial blend. Contemporary architecture is shown in modern houses and buildings.

Gastronomy in the city is varied. Several restaurants are found in the city's streets. The city also offers electronic artifacts cheaper than in Cochabamba.

One of Quillacollo's main economic resources is tourism. Quillacollo has hotels and hostals to stay. The flea markets and informal commerce abound in the city especially during the festivities. Sunday is market day.