The legend of the four plagues is a symbol of the Diablada | La leyenda de las cuatro plagas es símbolo de la Diablada

Voces Que Cuentan, ANF:

La Virgen del Socavón en Oruro.}
The Virgin of Socavón in Oruro.
La Virgen del Socavón en Oruro.

According to history, the Urus dressed as devils to represent Huari who sent the plagues to Oruro and to thank the female image who saved them from the curse.

La Paz, December 15, 2023 (VQC).- The origin of the legend of the four plagues of Oruro dates back to pre-Columbian times, but continues to be part of the identity of the Oruro people. Thus, the Diablada’s costumes have ants, snakes, lizards and toads printed on them that represent the attempted destruction of the Urus people and are danced as a sign of gratitude to the female image that saved them from this curse.

According to legend, Huari was an evil deity who tried to subdue the Uru people by sending four plagues from the four cardinal points. However, a white-dressed Ñusta protected them from this condemnation.

To the south, first a gigantic viper appeared among the hills. “The Urus cried out for help to the Ñusta, now represented by the Virgin of the Socavón, and she with her sword divided the body of the snake and left it petrified. It is said that the hills, where the Faculty of Engineering is located, resemble to the divided reptile,” Graciela Torrez told Voces Que Cuentan.

In the West, Huari sent a huge lizard that was later decapitated. “There is a lagoon near Oruro in Cala Cala whose waters turn red at a certain time of day. Legend has it that this lagoon was formed with the blood of the decapitated lizard,” says the story that is captured at the foot of the monument to the Candila Virgin in Oruro.

The ant plague emerged from the lizard’s head and arrived from the east. However, they were converted into sand dunes and formed the sandy area that is in the city of El Pagador. Finally, from the North, a toad of colossal size arrived. But Ñusta turned him into stone with a slingshot.

As a sign of gratitude to the Ñusta, the urus dressed as devils representing Huari and on their costumes they carry symbols of the four plagues. This fact gave rise to the Diablada dance that currently represents the department of Oruro and is danced at the Carnival that was declared a Heritage Site by UNESCO. With the arrival of the Spanish colony, the image of the Ñusta merged with the Virgen de la Candelaria and which later became the Virgen del Socavón.

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