AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Jonathan Lord for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology presented on December 7, 2009. Title: Anthropological Case Studies of Religious Syncretism in Bolivia Abstract approved: Joan Gross Religious histories have always appropriated pre-existing symbol systems of religion into newer forms, often with the goal in mind to acculturate a population into a new cultural setting to reach a desired status quo of society. The problem with acculturation theory is that it is filled with teleological and quantitative assumptions of purity or authenticity which often fail to explain that the process of adapting to a dominant culture is seldom done in a consistent logical progression. While many people undergoing culture change are faced with problems of communication that force them to make sense out of new discursive formations that exhibit new systems of cultural management, deviations from the invariant aspects of traditions are dependent upon how subjects have interpreted and given meaning to changes which have occurred in their environment rather than upon a mechanical assignation of cultural traits. This thesis seeks to better understand the nature and universal characteristics that embody ritual and religion through an ethnographic and historical investigation of two religious festivals that annually occur in a remote province located in the eastern valleys of Bolivia. Christian feast days in accordance with the Catholic calendar are predominant modes of ceremonial expression in the Latin American religious universe. In both the festivals that this thesis documents, ritual modes of exchange with divine figures/objects evidence forms of religious syncretism and the superimposition of Catholicism over Andean traditions. Using ethno-historical methods of documentation, this study shows the process of how meaning has been transformed from native Andean religious institutions and cultural practices to Spanish institutions largely influenced by Roman Catholicism. My research also confirms that while religious syncretism exists in both festivals, contrasting elements of orthodoxy against more idiosyncratic practices found in the festivals reveal two levels of Catholicism and the development of a more localized form of religious celebration detached from the church universal, a trend which also parallels religious developments in 16th century Spain. ©Copyright by Jonathan Lord December 7, 2009 All Rights Reserved Anthropological Case Studies of Religious Syncretism in Bolivia by Jonathan Lord A THESIS Submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented December 7, 2009 Commencement June 2010 Master of Arts thesis of Jonathan Lord presented on December 7, 2009. APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology Chair of the Department of Anthropology Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Jonathan Lord, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am thankful for my parents, who I love, who gave me this opportunity. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1- Introduction…………………………………………………………………. …3 Chapter 2-Methodology Anthropological Approaches to the study of Religion………………………………...8 Research Paradigm…………………………………………………………………….9 Research Design………………………………………………………………………11 Population and Sampling…………………………………………………………......12 Triangulation………………………………………………………………………….13 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………15 Chapter 3-Spanish and Andean Historical Contexts Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...16 Pre-History…………………………………………………………………………....18 Social Units of Andean Social Organization………………………………………….20 The Tiwantinsuyu…………………………………………………………………......22 Colonial Andean Development…………………………..............................................23 Church Institutions in the Americas………………………………………………......29 Cofradías………………………………………………………………………………32 Chapter 4-Ethnography of Religious Practice in Larecaja Political and Geographical Aspects…………………………………………………...37 Comunidad vs. Pueblo………………………………………………………………...40 Cofradía, Fraternidades, or Comparsas?........................................................................49 Collective Belonging……………………………………………………………….....52 El Señor de la Columna…………………………………………………………….....61 Advocations…………………………………………………………………………...66 The Fiesta of El Señor de Pascua..................................................................................69 The Mass for El Señor de Pascua……………………………………………………..75 Huacas, Jurisdictions, and Water……………………………………………………...79 A Magical Stone……………………………………………………………………....85 Social Constructions of Reality…………………………………………………….....88 The Disciple Simon-Peter…………………………………………………………......91 The Feast of the Cross………………………………………………………………...94 Creolizing the Center……………………………………………………….................98 Politics or Faith……………………………………………………………………....105 Chapter 5-Conclusions…………………………………………………………………....108 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………...115 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………120 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………...126 Appendix A - Museum Credentials…………………………………………………….....127 Appendix B - AAMS Document………………………………………………………….129 Appendix C – Spanish Abstract…………………………………………………………...132 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1- Nineteenth century mapping of the Larecaja and Munecas provinces………….2 2- Nuestra Señora de Maria Magdelena, Sorata’s parish church………………….4 3- Sixteenth Century Colonial Burecratic Institutions……………………………28 4- Department of La Paz with provinces………………………………………….37 5- Assortment of products sold at a makeshift stand ……………………………..40 6- Road to San Pedro……………………………………………………………...41 7- Morenada mask design utilized by comparsas ………………………………...51 8- Pilgrims lighting candles……………………………………………………….75 9- Quena Quenas Food Offering…………………………………………………..77 10- Quena Quena Comparsa………………………………………………………..78 11- Map of Inca Cacicazgos………………………………………………………...80 12- Larecaja Colonial Resettlements……………………………………...……......81 13- Guaman Poma Drawing of Festival Participants……………………………....84 14- Ritual Object of May 3rd Feast………………………………………………....97 ABBREVIATIONS USED IN NOTES Bolivian Archives: (ALP) Archivo de La Paz (AAMS) Archivos de Alcaldía Municipal de Sorata (ANB) Archivo Nacional de Bolivia “Recuerda que tienes una sola alma; que tienes una muerte que morir; que tienes una sola vida que vivir tú solo que es corta; y que hay sólo una gloria que es eterna. Si haces esto, habrá muchas cosas que no te importarán” “Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life to live which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and that there is only one glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing at all” -St. Teresa of Avila Note on Translation and Name Changes All of the words that are not English are italized once, and their definition can be found in the glossary section. This thesis has sections from interviews that I conducted in Spanish which were translated to English by the author with the help of a native speaker. The original translation is located in footnotes at the bottom of the page. All names from interviews have been changed to protect the identity of my research subjects. 2 Fig.1 Nineteenth century mapping of the Larecaja and Munecas provinces (ANB 1825: Ministry of Interior). 3 Chapter 1: Introduction For the purpose of keeping my research transparent, which I owed to my research subjects, I also feel that I am obliged to my readers a brief statement about how I came to be involved with the country of Bolivia and consequently selecting the Larecaja province as a research site. My interest in religion in the country of Bolivia began in 2004 when I attempted a series of mountaineering expeditions in the Royal Mountain Range of the Andes. Every year since 2004, I returned to Bolivia with the goal in mind to climb. If you have spent time amongst the people in Bolivia, you will experience dissimilarity of opposites. In the more remote mountain villages I visited, the people would tell me how Andean mythology is given form deep inside the mountains where one deity creates and another destroys with the same powerful force. Bolivia has the highest percentage of indigenous ethnicity in South America, a statistic that is clearly evident when one takes into consideration how far removed from modern civilization these indigenous groups subsist; many continue to live off the radar, without exchanges of currency, rather relying on trade and social relationships that are often maintained and renewed through ritual celebrations. Andean ritual celebrations captured my attention and became a particular area of academic interest to me. Devils, angels, and saints literally came to life in the countryside’s during ritual performances where various dance troupes, many who are members of confraternities, would dance and wear masks suggesting their interpretations of slavery, colonialism, folk theology, and social relationships. Each time I returned to Bolivia, I would pursue more and more knowledge and understanding of these ceremonies, eventually leading me into a research position with the Bolivian National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore (MUSEF). The practice of town festivals has a long and unique history in Bolivia. Many locals will tell you that