Oruro Carnival Costumes

Author: Gyarmati János
Photos: Garai Edit

As one of Latin America’s most important festivals, Carnival is celebrated in almost every village, town, and city in the region, with cities in several different countries all vying for the title of ‘Carnival Capital of the World’. One of these is the Bolivian city of Oruro, situated 3800 metres above sea level, where in the early years of the 17th century, Spanish colonists discovered a series of centuries-old precious metal mines worked by indigenous populations. Locals regarded the ores extracted from this area as gifts from the body of Pachamama, the Earth Mother, to be reciprocated in the form of sacrifices that doubled as safeguards against mining accidents.

When in 1606, the Spanish founded Villa de San Felipe de Austria (later renamed Oruro), they forbade these indigenous ceremonies out of devotion for their patron saint, the Virgin of Candelaria. After a time, an image of the Virgin was installed at one of the mine entrances—the work of some unkonwn actor. In 1789, the mine was rechristened Socavón de Virgen (Our Lady of the Mineshaft), thus uniting the persecuted local cult with the realm of Christian belief. Still later, the feast of Our Lady parted ways with that of Our Lady of Candelaria (celebrated on February 2), to be held instead in conjunction with Carnival, whose date varied from

Carnival preparations begin in November, when some fifty dance troupes recruited from families, friend groups, and work circles, each with its own chosen band of musicians, commence practicing. The first parade (primer convicte) is held on the second Sunday of November. Here, participants gather before the church of La Virgen del Socavón, erected over Our Lady’s original mineshaft, to take an oath that they will dance in her honour. On the final Sunday before Carnival (último convicte) they dance the full length of the four-kilometre road to the church in a dress rehearsal for Carnival Saturday. On Thursday, the village dance troupes are presented at an event known as Anata Andino, followed the next day by ch’alla, a ceremony honouring the Earth Mother in which workplace and family communities celebrate together while consuming prodigious quantities of alcohol. Carnival itself, also known as the ‘pilgrimage’ (peregrinación) or ‘entry’ (entrada), lasts until dawn on Sunday, with teams from all over the country demonstrating eighteen different dances, La Diablada being one of the most spectacular.

La Diablada, or the ‘Devil’s Dance,’ which symbolises the eternal struggle between good and evil, traces back to 12th-century Catalonia. In it, the archangel St. Michael and his angelic host pit themselves against Lucifer and his demons. In the version performed in Oruro, the archangel’s partner is China Supay, the devil’s indigenous female counterpart, symbolising the historical fusion of the pre-Columbian and Christian religions. According to tradition, the couple’s shining costumes—in particular, the coins strung onto their belts—served to warn the miners of any evil wafting down into the depths. Since 2001, Oruro Carnival has featured on the UNESCO list of Intangible World Heritage.

The Diablo and Diableza costumes seen here are recent field acquisitions and were made for the Oruro Carnival festivities of 2023.

Diablo

NM 2023.80.1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.1–2, 17

Oruro, Bolivia, 2023

Diableza

NM 2023.80.2, 4–7, 11, 13, 16.1–2, 18; 2024.68.1–2

Oruro, Bolivia, 2023