I expected to see “evil things” on the race. I have lived a life with a Dad that is spiritually sensitive, I know family members that have seen witches in their full act and I have had my share of personal experiences with the spiritual realm. I felt prepared for the World Race but little did I know I would see evil in Bolivia. To be honest I thought I would hear about these “things” in Africa. What are these things? Human sacrifices, animal sacrifices, witch doctors, witch markets and the chaos that comes with evil doings.
Before we went to our ministry site in Bolivia we were in communication with our host. Our team leader asked how could we be praying for them and they asked for prayers of the families affected by the Carnival in Bolivia that had occurred a week prior to us showing up. I was sure there was drinking, partying and drugs; but I was confused on how this affected families of an entire country. This sparked my curiosity.
When we arrived, we visited a women’s home where girls ranging from 14-18 years old were recovering from prostitution/drug abuse or were pregnant and avoiding a street lifestyle. I sparked a conversation with one of the girls about the Carnival and her comments left gory details that tainted my view on Bolivia. She said the Carnival is a 3-day event recognized by the government however people actually spend a week celebrating and months preparing for it. The event is brought on by indigenous belief; it is also promoted by the government due to its current and first indigenous president. This young Bolivian girl was about to blow my mind with the information she would give me in less than an hour. I started writing down all she told me.
She started off by saying to better understand Bolivia you have to start with the geography. Bolivia is broken down into 9 departments and they are divided by the climates: highlands (La Paz, Potosi, Oruro), valleys (Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Tarija) and low lands (Pando, Beni, Santa Cruz). The three coldest departments are in the mountains; they are the ones that are most submerged with witchcraft. Cerro Rico is located in one of these three, Potosi, being one of the most known mines in Bolivia that promotes sacrifices. It’s where most Spaniards collected their silver and now 80% of the land is owned by a New York based company. There are 70,000 private and government miners that participate in these events during the Carnival.
Many miners die yearly. Bolivians believe in order to have protection they need to make sacrifices to the god of the underworld, El Tio (The Uncle), because that’s his territory. He’s also considered the guardian of riches. They render sacrifices as a sign of gratitude so the mines won’t run out of silver, tin and zinc. Most Bolivians are devoted Pagan-Catholics so they believe in Jesus while jointly they believe they still have to pay their due to other gods. Syncretism of indigenous beliefs and the Spaniards conquest has created the culture that is now known. Spaniards brought Catholicism while the indigenous people follow the traditions of the Incas. Sacrifices during the Carnival can range from incense, herbs, roots, cigarettes, alcohol, coca leaves, llamas, llama fetuses or humans. El Tio is a statue of the devil located inside the mines dressed in jewelry serpents with a cigarette on one hand, coca leaves on the other and wears boots that look like those of a miner. Typically, there will be a statue of El Tio scattered throughout each mines of Bolivia. The carnival is celebrated before Lent and El Tio is believed to be derived from several deities; tiw, wari (from the indigenous Urus), Supay (from the Incas) and satan (from the Spaniards).
The chaos that happens during the Carnival is different every year, she said, one year she remembered a child getting killed by a man with a jack. The child was celebrating Carnival throwing water balloons and one balloon hit this mans car. He got off the car and hit the child with the tool until he was done with his frustration. He drove away and wasn’t caught. She mentioned there is always people disappearing during the time the Carnival takes place. The government does little to cover the truth or avoid the tragedies. Her descriptions reminded me of the film, The Purge. What happens with the people that are kidnapped? She said most Bolivians know the hidden truth; they have been sacrificed.
After ministry was over I went home in disbelief. I talked to one of our YWAM host, Stefani, because I knew she could help me get into more of the “factual” information. The Carnival was just the beginning of what I would come to dig up about the Bolivian culture. Stefanie has lived in Bolivia since the age of 11 and is not only culturally aware but she studied Theology. I knew she could give me a different perspective on the ambiance of Bolivia. I sat two nights going over personal stories, the rituals, practices and beliefs of Bolivians.
One of the first stories she mentioned was of a professor who was not a believer but came from indigenous decent. She said in college her professor told her how his family wanted him to become a witch doctor but he didn’t want to pursue the traditions from his ancestors. He felt something dark constantly following him during this time.
I asked her about human sacrifices. She mentioned how Bolivians sacrifice llamas or fetuses to build a new building (home or business). Depending on the size of the building, the purpose and the wealth of the owner; the sacrifice would be as required for prosperity. She didn’t know for a fact if humans were being sacrificed but she believed it could be possible. On our second night we researched and found the details of the sacrifices; the most recent was in a mine of Oruro during Carnival.
The article we found described that the sacrifices aren’t only for El Tio but for another god called Pachamama (Mother Earth). The ritual takes place so Pachamama can keep giving to the miners and as a way of gratitude. Miners cut the throats of the llamas and take the hearts out of the llamas. They beg both gods to not allow the mines to run dry. The miners tie down tables with incense, herbs and roots while sprinkling it with alcohol. Six llamas wait their faith outside the mines. This ceremony is called Wilancha which has about 200 miners as participants inside the low lit mines. Miners have dancers around them while they drink during this ceremony. A “Chaman”, priest of the Aymara tribe, finishes the ritual by burning the table so the smell can fill up the mines. On a bowl the blood is collected of the llamas once their throats are cut open. The same miner will then cut the chest open of the llama to take the heart out. Miners then smear the blood of the llama over their faces. Some miners are effusive while others ask for forgiveness for the mistakes they have done. The heart of the llama is taken to one of the mineral veins of the mines that can go 300 to 400 meters deep. It all blew my mind and the Carnival was now more than just a Bolivian Celebration.
After exchanging stories about our month my squad mate, Tate, we couldn’t understand people would be sacrifice. How did they get the bodies? We couldn’t understand that people could be buried under buildings without anyone asking questions or demanding justice. She researched some more on the practices of Bolivian sacrifices and found the dark secret of Elephant Cemeteries; these are places where alcoholics go to end their life. They are locked in a room to finish the rest of their lives getting drunk to the point of death. These bodies are the ones believed to go missing because no one will claim them.
Stephanie told me something that stuck! She said that when she studied theology she noticed that things happen in mountains. It is where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, Moses saw the burning bush, Moses received the 10 commandments and where Jesus would go to pray. She believes that the spiritual climate is more sensitive in the mountains; it might be the isolation, the quietness or how we realize we are so small compare to these giants. However, this can be a good or bad thing; the enemy has made it a bad thing in the departments of Bolivia; to the point that Christians avoid the holiday and create retreats to hide from the anarchy.
In Bolivia there is so much more to the culture that has a stronghold on the spiritual realm. There are more gods such as the ekeko (the god of prosperity) or superstitions like Llamas (with ribbons in their ears) used as dream catchers. Much more clandestine macabre things come to surface as you dig into the culture. What do we do with this information? We don’t hide; we should be the light during these times just as the Bible says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Please keep Bolivia in your prayers. May we rise up to the occasion as Christians and not hide our light.
If you would like to learn more about this subject, I have added below two other blogs, created by my friends. Click on their names to be linked to their blogs. Tate addresses the culture and Carmen the spiritual realm. Thank for all your constant love and support.
