Background
Celebrated in Oruro, the folklore capital of Bolivia, the carnival marks the Ito religious festival for the indigenous Uru people. Its ceremonies stem from Andean customs, with ancient invocations centering around "Pachamama" or Mother Earth (later transformed into the Virgin Mary through Christian syncretism) and "Tio Supay" (the Uncle God of the Mountains, later transformed into the Christian devil). The native Ito ceremonies were banned by the Spanish in the 17th century, during their rule over Upper Peru. However, the Uru continued to observe the festival in the form of a Catholic ritual on Candlemas, in the first week of each February. Christian icons were used to conceal portrayals of Andean gods, and the Christian saints stood in for other minor Andean divinities. The ceremony began forty days before Easter.
Legend also has it that in 1789, a mural of the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared in a mineshaft of the richest silver mine in Oruro. Ever since, the Carnival has been observed in honour of the Virgen de la Candelaria (Virgin of the Candlemas) or Virgen del Socavon (Virgin of the Mineshaft). The most important elements of the Carnival now occur in and around the Sanctuaria del Socavon (Church of the Mineshaft).
Read more about this topic: Carnaval De Oruro
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