El Tío
Statue of the devil that they have a ceremony for every friday. The mountain is supposedly a woman ¨Pachamama¨ (mother earth) and el tío represents a few things. His big dong = proportionate to the big mountain in order to continue reproducing the minerals and continue mining. Llama fetus by his feet = the devil has to eat something so the miners leave that meat so he doesn´t eat the men (about 30 miners die every year). cocoa leaves (curbs appetite and keeps you awake, they don´t eat while working in the mines), alcohol (about 96 proof, fuerte!!), and cigarettes are things that consume everyday in the mines.
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1... ... read more 
