El Tío
El Tío (The Uncle), is believed in Cerro Rico, Potosí, Bolivia to be the "Lord of the Underworld". There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of Cerro Rico. El Tío is believed to rule over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Some figures are in the shape of a goat.[1]
Miners bring offerings such as cigarettes, coca leaves, and alcohol for the statues[2][3] and believe that if El Tío is not fed, he will take matters into his own hands. Villagers of Potosi ritually slaughter a llama and smear its blood on the entrance to the mines.[1]
The miners of Cerro Rico are
Every year, the Carnaval de Oruro 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. This is the only time that images of El Tío are allowed above the surface of the mines.[4][5]
In popular culture
- The figure is featured in the music video for the 2013 song "Sam Smith, which takes place in various locations across Bolivia.[6]
- 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 on their third album Shores of the Abstract Line, named "Central Shore - Tío".
See also
References
- ^ a b c "THE DEVIL'S MINER . The Mountain". Independent Lens. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ^ "Cerro Rico: Devil Worship on the man-eating mountain". BBC News. October 2014.
- ^ "Bolivia 2003 - Potosi". The UCLA, Department of Earth and Space Sciences Tours. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- ^ a b "Meet El Tío: the Devil Who Rules the Underworld of Bolivia's Mines". Culture Trip. 7 July 2017.
- ^ Alex Jordan, Dancing With The Devil in Bolivia, Culture Trip
- ^ Joseph, Dana (18 June 2013). "Filmmaker Pons Jewell chooses exotic Bolivia for Naughty Boy's "La La La" video". CNN Travel. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
External links
- The Tío of the Mine, Víctor Montoya
- El Tío, Citizendium
- Photos of El Tio, Potosí mine, Bolivia, Flickr
- The song "La La La on YouTube}
- Ghost Recon Wildlands: El Tio de la Mina Challenge