The feast of the Virgin of Urcupiña
Luis Llanos Sanchez
Facultad de Teologia "San Pablo", Cochabamba, BoliviaAbstract
This article describes the feast of the Virgin of Urcupiña which is popular in the district
of Cochabamba – Bolivia. Celebrations of this Marian feast have crossed the Bolivian borders.
Pilgrims from all over the country and from abroad are welcomed here in August each year. In general,
Bolivian immigrants return to celebrate the image of the Virgin during celebrations in
Urcupiña. First, the article shows the origin of the feast and the tradition associated with the appearance
of a beautiful Woman to a little shepherd girl on the hill Quillacollo. Since that time, pastoral
projects of the archdiocese of Cochabamba have been developing to increase devotion and piety for
Our Lady. These initiatives include the pilgrimage, the Eucharist as the central axis of the celebrations
and the practice of some Andean rituals performed by men and women from these territories.
The cult of ancestors is maintained here which reflects religious syncretism grew out of the reinterpretation
of rituals such as k’oa, ch’alla and lighting candles. They are therefore ceremonies penetrated
by deep popular religiosity, which gathers crowds manifesting their piety, folklore and some
pre-Columbian customs
Keywords:
Virgin of Urkupiña, folk religiosity, Andean rituals and pilgrimagesReferences
Claros E., Fundamentos de la religiosidad popular en educación a distancia (INSCSS) Formación Especializada, Cochabamba.
Maldonado L., Para comprender el catolicismo popular, Navarra 1990.
Maldonado S., La Virgen de Urkupiña visitará la cárcel de El Abra y centro de niños con discapacidad, en: Los Tiempos [online], acceso: 12.12.2017, <http://www.lostiempos.com/actualidad/local/20170721/virgen-urkupina-visitara-carcel-abra-centro-ninos-discapacidad>.
Marzal M., Tierra encantada, tratado de antropología religiosa de América Latina, Madrid 2002.
Pablo VI, Exhortación Apostólica „Evangelii Nuntiandi” (8.12.1975), Cochabamba 2013. 47: AAS 105 (2013), 1038.
Parker C., Otra lógica en américa latina, religión popular y modernización capitalista, México 1993.
Peredo R., El milagro de urcupiña, Cochabamba 1990.
Ramos A., Urqupiña una luz de esperanza, Cochabamba 2009.
Vargas J., Piedras, rituales y fe en el Calvario de Urkupiña, en: Los Tiempos [online], acceso: 12.12.2017, <http://www.lostiempos.com/actualidad/local/20160816/piedras-rituales-fe-calvario-urkupina>.
Velasco J.M., Increencia y Evangelización, Santander 1988
Facultad de Teologia "San Pablo", Cochabamba, Bolivia
