LA PAZ, Bolivia — Struck by lightning during a roaring thunderstorm 10 years ago, an ancient pine tree in Bolivia's capital of La Paz is thriving.

Known as the “miracle tree,” this giant conifer now draws devotees from across the country to La Paz’s largest public cemetery, founded two centuries ago on a pre-Columbian burial plot. Pilgrims stream through the alleys bearing offerings — coins, flowers, sweets, handwritten disclosures of secret wishes — to stuff into bark crevices.

On a chilly afternoon last week during the throes of an election season, pilgrims made their way to the miracle tree through the winding alleys of the cemetery packed with over 200,000 graves, many belonging to decorated soldiers and dignitaries.

As Bolivia is now heralding the end of almost two decades of lefti

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