El Tío (The Uncle), is believed in

Cerro Rico Cerro Rico (Spanish for "Rich Mountain"), Cerro Potosí ("Potosí Mountain") or Sumaq Urqu (Quechua ''sumaq'' "beautiful, good, pleasant", ''urqu'' "mountain", "beautiful (good or pleasant) mountain"), is a mountain in the Andes near the Boliv ...

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

to be the "Lord of the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwo ...

". There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of

. El Tío is believed to rule over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Some figures are in the shape of a goat. Miners bring offerings such as cigarettes, coca leaves, and alcohol for the statues and believe that if El Tío is not fed, he will take matters into his own hands. Villagers of Potosi ritually slaughter a

llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...

and smear its blood on the entrance to the mines. The miners of

are

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s and they believe in both

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

and El Tío. However, worship of El Tío is condemned strongly by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. Images of El Tío are usually not allowed outside of the mines, as this is seen as the realm of God and El Tío has no place there. Likewise, Christian symbolism are not allowed inside of the mines, as this "Underworld" is seen as El Tío's realm. Every year, the

Carnaval de Oruro The Carnival of Oruro is a religious and cultural festival in Oruro, Bolivia. It has been celebrated since the 18th century. Originally an indigenous festival, the celebration later was transformed to incorporate a Christian ritual around ...

is held, and costumes and statues of El Tío are paraded around in a ceremony that represents his defeat at the hands of the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. This is the only time that images of El Tío are allowed above the surface of the mines.Alex Jordan
Dancing With The Devil in Bolivia
Culture Trip

In popular culture

* The figure is featured in the music video for the 2013 song " La La La" by producer

Naughty Boy Shahid Khan ( ur, شاهد خان; born 1 January 1981), better known by his stage name Naughty Boy, is a British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. In 2012, Khan signed a three–year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a rec ...

in collaboration with singer

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

, which takes place in various locations across Bolivia. * The figure appears in '' Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'', which takes place in a fictional version of Bolivia. * The French progressive-metal band, Hypno5e, has dedicated a song to El Tío in their third album "Shores of the abstract line", named "Central Shore - Tío".

References

External links

The Tío of the Mine
Víctor Montoya
El Tío
Citizendium
Photos of El Tio, Potosí mine, Bolivia
Flickr * }
Ghost Recon Wildlands: El Tio de la Mina Challenge
__NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:El Tio Christianity and religious syncretism Ethnic religion Potosí Religion in Bolivia Demons

In popular culture

See also

References

External links