Ciutadella

Life and family inside La Paz’s self governed San Pedro prison

Originally built to house 300 nuns, the San Pedro male prison in La Paz now contains around 1,500 inmates living in conditions that resemble a densely populated neighbourhood rather than a conventional jail. Inside its walls, prisoners have created a self organised system that includes businesses, workshops, services, a church, and communal spaces. Daily life unfolds as it would outside, shaped by informal economies and internal rules rather than constant visible control.

What makes San Pedro exceptional is that it is not inhabited only by convicted men. Hundreds of women and almost 300 children live inside the prison by choice, joining their husbands and fathers in order to keep their families together. These non convicted residents accept life behind bars as a way to preserve family unity, creating a fragile balance between confinement and domestic normality.

The documentary Citadel focuses on the everyday life of a single family, observing routines such as preparing meals, working, seeking medical care, and attending religious services. Shot within the narrow alleyways of the prison, the film captures a place that appears largely self sufficient, yet remains defined by the presence of its walls and the constant pull of the outside world. Without judgement or commentary, the film portrays San Pedro as a unique community shaped by architecture, necessity, and the human desire for dignity, belonging, and hope within confinement.