El Tío
El Tío (The Uncle), is believed in Cerro Rico, Potosí, Bolivia as the Lord of the underworld. There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of Cerro Rico. El Tío rules over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Some figures are really 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 Catholics and they believe in both Jesus and El Tío. El Tío is similar to some voudou-Folk Catholicism cultures mythology, such as the spirits of protection, the loa, in Legba in Haiti and some cultures in New Orleans.[1]
See also
- La La La (Naughty Boy song), In 2013, producer Naughty Boy in collaboration with singer Sam Smith published a song which tells this story.
References
External links
- The Tío of the Mine, Víctor Montoya
- El Tío, Citizendium
- Photos of El Tio, Potosí mine, Bolivia, Flickr
- La La La in YouTube, The song
