Tupiza and its environs are characterized by dramatic red escarpments
which jut ruggedly skyward from the coarse, gray terrain; green
agricultural land adjacent to the R�o Tupiza provides welcome respite
from the otherwise arid, thorny surroundings. The area quebradas are
susceptible to flash flood runoff from sudden cloudbursts.
Tupiza is
the capital of the Sud Chichas Province within the Potos� Department. It
is accessible via bus from Villaz�n to the south (and thereby both
Argentina and Tarija) and Potos� to the north, as well as via the
north-south train which served the mining settlements and runs the same
route. From Tupiza, various towns in the local mining districts are
accessible, as is the Salar de Uyuni.
Legend has it that Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid met their end at the hands of the Bolivian
army near Tupiza, concluding their notorious string of bank robbery
raids. Various local outfitters provide horseback or jeep tours to the
rumored site
