Snakes, toads, reptiles and ants: Oruro’s Carnival and its deities

Kepa Artaraz
Ok, so I didn’t go to Oruro as I should have done to see a carnival that has been declared as world heritage by UNESCO. What I did was watch it on TV, or part watch it because the Saturday event begins at 7am and goes on and on and on until Sunday morning. And then they go and start all over again…But I did do some reading about the carnival and about the legend that surrounds the Urus, original dwellers of this part of the altiplano, who were peasants and llama herders as many of their descendants are today. The story has been confirmed by a real Orureño friend so it must be true.
It is said that the very good Uru men and women of the area were once chosen by Wari, a demi-God that lives inside the mountain, to become his servants of evil. They, however, refused to do so. So Wari sent a number of plagues to deal with the Uru people in revenge for their disobedience.
First Wari sent a giant snake from the south that came perilously close to the Uru people. Just when everything seemed lost, a ñusta, a beautiful woman who emerged from the mountain, killed the giant snake with a single stroke of her sword. Today, the swerving body of the snake can be seen in the mountains that surround the city of Oruro, the land of the Urus.
Wari then sent a giant toad to destroy this beautiful city but just like the first time, that beautiful and ethereal woman saved them by hitting the beast with a sling. The animal turned into stone and never again bothered the Uru people.
The third attack came in the form of a giant lizard, sent by Wari to destroy the Uru people. The terrifying animal was unstoppable but just like the previous times, the ñusta came to the defence of the Uru people, cutting the animal’s head and spilling its blood into a lake that to this day, turns read in the evenings. The headless body of the animal can today be seen in the rocky formations that descend towards cala-cala.
The incensed God of the mountain then sent a plague of ants that emerged from the body of the dead giant lizard. The three columns of ants had to be defeated again with the help of the sling that turned them into sand dunes still visible today. This was the last attack of Wari who was defeated by the woman who is today is know as la virgen del socavon.
So there you have it. In Oruro, unlike anywhere else I have ever heard, thousands of people dressed up as demons and angels march to the city’s church and inside the mountain, pay homage to a Christian symbol, the virgin, as the central part of the festivities.