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In Oruro,
roof of the continent and heart of the Bolivian "altiplano",
there was once a great ceremonial center located at approximately
4,000 meters above sea level. In that spot, ever since pre-history,
the "urus" indians had adored "Huari", god of
the force and the fire of the mountains.
Over the years, the "quechua" culture made this god its
own, transforming him into "Zupay", which is nothing less
than the tribal version of the Devil of the Catholic Faith: the protector
against the mines, where the miners call him "The Uncle"
("El Tio") and offer him leaves of "coca" and
cigars to prevent his anger from provoking earthquakes and landslides.
During another historic stage of religious dualism. between the years
1700 and 1900 approximately, the Andine "Pachamama" ("Mother
Earth") became the "Virgen of the Socavón" evidencing
the syncretism and the dynamic of faith by means of this religious
mutation. The temple which today is in that place exactly, where witch-doctors
and conjurers performed their spells. In that very same spot, one
can also find the gallery of an old mine, converted into a museum
and presided over by the Devil himself. And towards that sacred place,
those who still feel in their spirits the burden of the millenium
mysticism direct themselves.
All of this was always patronised by the Catholic Church of the Spanish
coloniser, which for centuries sought for the way to unify religion
in all the continent, even at the risk of deteriorating its traditional
profile. Priests built their temples using the sites of old sacred
places so that the indian tribes would enter the temples -now Catholic-
to sing and dance in their own way. They did not mind. The objective
was to transculturalise those who resisted to believe in a faith brought
in from another continent.
The dates of the celebrations, which at first had to do with the rain
seasons, gradually adapted themselves to the holidays authorised by
priests and patrons, until they were definitely installed in the offical
carnival calendar.
At present, this curious mixture has resulted in that, each year,
more than 40,000 pilgrims -most of them dressed as devils and led
by the bishop of the city-, dance in parade for several kilometers,
while worshipping the Virgen and the Devil at the same time.
Within this paradox, the celebrations oscilate between sincere promises
to the Virgen and offerings to the Devil and to the "Pachamama",
all within family outings and alcohol or urgent sex while wearing
a mask. Things to do with virgens and devils!
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