Bolivia
Sacred rituals
A village that still cling to their customs, rooted in their religion. The big surprise for tourists is to see
it the heart of La Paz, at the junction of Jimenez and Linares streets, shops filled with amulets, herbs,
potions and especially fetus of stuffed animals. This neighborhood is known as the esoteric one or the
witches’ neighborhood. The truth is that there are shops selling home remedies typical of Andean
culture and everything needed for the ritual to the Pachamama.
The Andean traditions and the Catholic religion.
It was not only in this nation, it was a rule that
was made in all the conquered territories.
This just makes them to attend the church, but
they keep making their own rituals. Even though
they use Virgin images in the churches, they
consume coca, alcohol, liquor or they bury food
around the image. This is not very Catholic, but it is
a ritual that is performed for Andean gods.
Rituals and festivals celebrated in these villages are
closely linked with the agricultural cycle, a calendar
that sets the standard of life of indigenous peoples.
In this context, every month has their festive stamp
and August is the special date known as the month
of Pachamama.