![El Tio Potosi Bolivia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/El_Tio_Potosi_Bolivia.jpg)
El Tío (The Uncle), is believed in
Cerro Rico
Cerro Rico (Spanish for "Rich Mountain"), Cerro Potosí ("Potosí Mountain") or Sumaq Urqu (Quechuan languages, Quechua ''sumaq'' "beautiful, good, pleasant", ''urqu'' "mountain", "beautiful (good or pleasant) mountain"), is a mountain in the A ...
,
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 underworld.
...
". There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the
mines of
Cerro Rico
Cerro Rico (Spanish for "Rich Mountain"), Cerro Potosí ("Potosí Mountain") or Sumaq Urqu (Quechuan languages, Quechua ''sumaq'' "beautiful, good, pleasant", ''urqu'' "mountain", "beautiful (good or pleasant) mountain"), is a mountain in the A ...
. 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 List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.
Llamas are social animals and live with othe ...
and smear its blood on the entrance to the mines.
The miners of
Cerro Rico
Cerro Rico (Spanish for "Rich Mountain"), Cerro Potosí ("Potosí Mountain") or Sumaq Urqu (Quechuan languages, Quechua ''sumaq'' "beautiful, good, pleasant", ''urqu'' "mountain", "beautiful (good or pleasant) mountain"), is a mountain in the A ...
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 of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
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 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 ...
.
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
''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' is a third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris in collaboration with Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Belgra ...
'', 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".
See also
*
Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
*
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and Rome ...
*
Death deity
Many have incorporated a god of death into their mythology or religion. As death, along with birth, is among the major parts of human life, these deities may often be one of the most important deities of a religion. In some religions in which a ...
*
Idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...
*
Maximón
Maximón (), also called San Simón, is a Mayan deity and folk saint represented in various forms by the Maya peoples of several towns in the Guatemalan Highlands. Oral tradition of his creation and purpose in these communities is complex, diverse ...
*
Tutelary deity
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...
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