The Mama Negra is a traditional festival held twice a year in

Latacunga Latacunga (; Quechua: Latakunga) is a plateau city of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the headstream of the Pastaza. At the time of census ...

Cotopaxi Province Cotopaxi () is one of the provinces of Ecuador. The capital is Latacunga. The province contains the Cotopaxi volcano, an intermittent volcano with a height of . Cantons The province is divided into 7 cantons. The following table lists each ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Also called ''La Santísima Tragedia'' (The Holy Tragedy), it is a celebration in honor of the Virgen de la Merced (Virgin of Mercy), who is said to have stopped an eruption of

Cotopaxi volcano Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located near Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador (after Chimbor ...

in 1742. The festival is also a celebration of the anniversary the city of Latacunga's independence.

Origin

The festival of Mama Negra has origins in indigenous, Spanish, and African cultures. Two distinct themes are seen in the festival: that of the

pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

, from which stemmed the indigenous folklore characters, and that of colonialism, which brought Spanish and African cultural influences to Latacunga. Gradually created by many generations, the result presents characteristics of a traditional ceremony adjusted to incorporate aspects of Christian religious ceremonies introduced by the Spanish Conquest. In 1742, the Virgen de la Merced allegedly stopped the eruption of

, and was proclaimed "Advocate and Patron of the Volcano" by the residents of Latacunga, who pledged to celebrate an annual fiesta in her honor.

Celebration

The Mama Negra festival takes place at the end of September, when the Catholic Church commemorates the Virgen de la Merced, and for a second time in November, when

celebrates the anniversary of its independence. Features of the celebration include bands of musicians, dancing, and a parade of familiar characters representing folklore, military and religious figures.

References

External links

Mama Negra website
Cultural festivals in Ecuador Folk festivals in South America {{festival-stub