This paper analyses how the public policies of potable water distribution have influenced the perceptions people in Villa Chaquimayu, a marginalized neighbourhood of Cochabamba (Bolivia), have about the State. This analysis is based on the theoretical distinction between ‘State-system’ and ‘State-idea’ proposed by Abrams (1988). Following Abrams, this paper examines both the practices the Bolivian State has implemented to deliver potable water to Villa Chaquimayu (State-system), and the notions people in this neighbourhood have about the State (State-idea). By using ethnographic data, this investigation shows that a deficient public management of potable water distribution has negatively influenced people’s ideas and perceptions about what is the State. ; This article analyzes how public policies for the distribution of drinking water have influenced the perceptions that the population of Villa Chaquimayu, a slum in Cochabamba, has about the State. This analysis is based on the theoretical distinction between “Idea-State” and “System-State” proposed by Abrams (1998). Following Abrams, this study analyzes both the practices that the Bolivian State has implemented to distribute drinking water in Villa Chaquimayu (State-System), and the notions about the State that the population of this neighborhood has (Idea-State). Through ethnographic information, this article shows how poor public management of the distribution of drinking water has negatively influenced the ideas and perceptions that the population has about what the State is. ; National University of Chimborazo.