Carnival of Oruro

Origins and sacred roots

Ancient Jururu served as a sacred Andean pilgrimage destination long before Spanish rule. Local Urus honoured protective deities such as the condor, toad, snake, and lizard. When Spanish authorities banned traditional Itu rites during the seventeenth century, the Uru people preserved their customs by shielding indigenous beliefs under Catholic saint days, especially Candlemas. According to local lore, an image of Mary appeared in a silver mine during 1756. This event deepened devotion to the Virgin of the Mineshaft, leading to a blended tradition that pairs Christian figures with Pachamama and the subterranean spirit Tio Supay.

Music and regional dances

Choreographed movement and brass music form the centre of the celebration. Around forty-eight dance troupes participate across the festival. The premier performance is the Diablada, also called the Llama llama, where dancers portray devils in an elaborate confrontation between good and evil. Other regional styles include the tinku, llamerada, caporales, morenada, and saya. Over twenty-eight thousand dancers and ten thousand musicians in roughly one hundred and fifty brass bands travel a four-kilometre path through the streets, finishing at the Church of the Mineshaft.

Parades and sacred plays

Festivities open with greetings to the Virgin, accompanied by brass bands competing inside the Pie de Gallo grotto. Devotees visit geological sites honoring the sacred condor, toad, snake, and ants before and after the central weekend. The major Saturday pilgrimage continues across three days and nights. At its conclusion, performers stage two traditional mystery plays. One drama retells the Spanish conquest, while the other enacts Archangel Michael conquering the devil and the seven deadly sins, a performance introduced by Catholic clergy in 1818.

How Carnival of Oruro is kept

The celebration begins with rites for the Virgin of the Mineshaft and a brass band competition at the Pie de Gallo grotto. Before the central weekend, participants visit a rock formation honouring the sacred condor. On Saturday, forty-eight folk dance fraternities begin a three-day, three-night parade covering four kilometres to the shrine. Over twenty-eight thousand dancers perform styles like the Diablada accompanied by marching bands. The procession ends with two mystery plays staging the Spanish conquest and Archangel Michael defeating the devil. Later days include visits to sacred sites dedicated to the snake, toad, and ants.

When and where

The festival runs for ten days each year, starting on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and concluding at noon on Ash Wednesday. It is tied to the Christian liturgical calendar fifty-five days before Easter, leading up to the fasting period of Lent, and also coincides with early February Candlemas observances.

The carnival is celebrated in the city of Oruro, located in the high Altiplano region of Bolivia. Main events centre on the four-kilometre parade route leading directly to the Santuario del Socavon, also known as the Church of the Mineshaft.

What Carnival of Oruro means

The festival represents a syncretic union of Andean cosmology and Catholic teaching. Indigenous reverence for Earth and mountain spirits merged with devotion to the Virgin Mary, known as the Virgin of the Mineshaft, while the Christian devil became linked with the Andean spirit Tio Supay. Sacred dances and mystery plays dramatise battles between good and evil alongside historical memories of the Spanish conquest.

Days Carnival of Oruro is marked

Questions people ask about Carnival of Oruro

See also

Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.NavaratriA nine-night Hindu festival honoring the goddess Durga and her nine forms through prayer, fasting, and dance.Mardi GrasA festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent beginsSt. Martin's DayA November feast of lantern walks, bonfires, roast goose and new wine

Good reading and sources

• Carnaval de Oruro on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.