The Ekeko (contemporary Aymara spelling: ''Iqiqu'') is the Tiwanakan (pre Columbian civilization) god of abundance and prosperity in the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

of the people from the Altiplano. Its chief importance in popular culture is as the main figure of the annual Alasitas fair, a cultural event that happens every January 24 in

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. The Ekeko is a traditional god of luck and prosperity popular in the western region of

. In

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

the main festival is celebrated on May 3 of every year in the city of Puno, on the Machallata hill.

Etymology

The name Ekeko comes from the alteration of the original term ''Ekhako'' or ''Eqaqo'', popularized as ''Ekhekho'' which was the ancient god of fortune and prosperity in the Qullasuyu. The ''Ekhako'' was often invoked when a disgrace disturbed their homes.

Origins

Pre-Columbian references

The scholar Ernesto Cavour in his book ''Alasitas'', makes reference to

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

and

zoomorphic The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from and . In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art ...

stone, mud and gold figures that were found in the areas belonging to the

n departments of

, Oruro and

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...

. Cavour considers that these figures were made using

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

—extracted from the

pre-Columbian 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 ...

mines in the shores of the Lake Poopó—and

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...

from the Copacabana peninsula. Carlos Ponce Sanginés, for his part, focus his researches in the anthropomorphic figures with

phallic A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

elements and prominent humps which, in his opinion, go back to the Inca civilization and, according to his observations, they would correspond to the predecessors of the colonial ''Ekeko''. The historian Antonio Paredes Candia considers that these figures would be the remains of ancient sacred festivities during the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

in the southern hemisphere. Arthur Posnansky also observes that in dates near the 22 December, in the Tiwanaku culture, the population used to worship their deities to ask for good luck, offering miniatures of what they wished to have or achieve.

Characteristics

Description

El_Ekeko_peruano_de_la_Feria_de_Alasitas_de_Puno_03

The Ekeko is depicted as a man with a mustache wearing traditional Andean clothes (especially the poncho) and completely loaded with bags and baskets with grain and food, (compare with the

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...

of some Greco-Roman deities), household objects, and currency bills, and basically anything that a person is thought to want or need to have a comfortable and prosperous life; he is commonly found as a little statue to be put in some place of the house, preferably a comfortable one, but also as an

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

attached to key rings; modern statues of the god include a circular opening in his mouth in which to place a cigarette for Ekeko's pleasure. Latest tradition has the Ekeko "smoke" a lit cigarette once a year to ensure a full year of prosperity. ''Ekeko'' should be placed in a place of honor at home. Some versions can be carried in necklaces or key chains.

Purpose

''Ekeko'' brings monetary wealth to its worshippers. An offering is generally required before he provides his services. Banknotes are often clipped to the ''Ekeko'' as offerings, but some statuettes allow for a cigarette to be lit as an offering. The figurines which allow for cigarette offerings have mouth openings large enough for cigarettes to be inserted. ''Ekeko'' additionally provides good harvests when offered grain.

Legend of Ekeko

The legend of the Ekeko, as narrated by Antonio Díaz Villamil, dates around 1781 in

. At this time, the city of La Paz was under siege by indigenous people, who were still at war with Spanish forces. The story of the origin of the Ekeko starts with Paulita Tintaya, an Indian girl who worked for Doña Josefa Ursula de Rojas Foronda, in

. The girl was in love with Isidoro Choquehuanca. Years before, she had left the hacienda where they both had grown up. Before her departure, Isidoro gave her a small statue to protect her. This small statue was the Ekeko, which was known to the Andean people to be a god of fortune and luck. At the time of the siege, people were starving to death. Isidoro was enrolled in the indigenous army, and he manage to reach Paulita's house. Every week, he left her food near the statue, which was placed outside the house, but nobody knew he was doing it. Both Paulita and her boss, Doña Josefa, were able to survive the siege because of the food left near the statue by Isidoro. That is the origin of the beliefs of Ekeko's powers in providing abundance.

Central role in the Alasitas festival

In March 2011 Elizabeth Salguero, Minister of Cultures, nominated Alasitas along with two other Bolivian festivals to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

for

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

recognition as part of the cultural and intangible heritage of humanity. People attend the event from all over the city and even travel from other cities inside Bolivia to buy miniature versions of goods to give to others, in the hope that the recipient will receive the real item during the coming year. Throughout other regions the festival for the Ekeko is held in October and known by the name ''Calvario''.

Notes

External links

*{{Commons category-inline Culture of Bolivia Culture of Peru Bolivian folklore Peruvian folklore Aymara South American deities Fortune gods Indigenous culture of the Andes Abundance gods Puno