Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DANCING WITH THE DEVIL: THE ORURO CARNAVAL
A moveable feast celebrated in late February or early March, the
Oruro Carnaval
is
Bolivia's most spectacular fiesta. During the week-long party thousands of costumed dan-
cers parade through Oruro in a vibrant and bizarre celebration of the sacred and profane
that combines Christian beliefs with Andean folklore - as well as heavy drinking and
chaotic water-fighting.
On the first Sunday of November the Santuario del Socavón church hosts a special Mass,
and rehearsals are then held every subsequent Sunday until Carnaval itself. The Carnaval's
main event is the
Entrada
on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, a massive procession
of costumed dancers accompanied by brass bands. The parade is led by floats festooned
with offerings for the
Virgen del Socavón
,
in whose honour the Carnaval is held. Behind
them comes the Carnaval's central feature, the
Diablada
(Dance of the Devils), led by two
dancers representing Lucifer and St Michael, followed by hundreds of devil dan`cers, and
massed brass bands.
On one hand, the Diablada is a morality play in which the Archangel Michael triumphs
over the Devil of Christian belief. But the dance is also a celebration of the devil as an in-
carnation of
Huari
, the pre-Columbian god of the underworld - closely related to
El Tío
--who owns the mineral wealth of the mines and is a jealous patron of the miners dancing
in his honour.
Behind the Diablada follows a bewildering variety of other costumed dance troupes, each
with its own folk history and mythology. The procession continues well into Sunday morn-
ing, and dancing and drinking takes place for much of the following week. On Ash Wed-
nesday, townsfolk visit a series of rocks on the outskirts of Oruro to make offerings to what
are claimed to be the petrified remains of the fearsome beasts defeated by the Virgin to
save the town. Finally, on Thursday, the troupes conduct their
despedida fiestas
, saying
their farewells until the following year.
CARNAVAL PRACTICALITIES
The main procession route is lined with benches that are rented out (Bs80-350/day) by the
shop or house in front of which they stand or the tourist offices. Gringos are popular targets
for water-bomb attacks, so be prepared to get soaked - and to strike back.
Brief history
Originally named the Villa Imperial de Don Felipe de Austria in honour of the reigning Span-
ish king, Felipe III, Oruro was
founded
on November 1, 1606, a decade after the discovery
of rich
silver
deposits in the nearby Cerro Pie de Gallo. Though its mines never rivalled Po-
tosí's, Oruro grew quickly, and by the 1670s was the second biggest city in Alto Peru, with a
population of about eighty thousand.
