Exploring The Traditions Of Bolivia's Urkupiña Festival

The Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña is an annual event held on 15 August in the city of Quillacollo, 13-14km from Cochabamba in Bolivia. The festival is officially dubbed the 'Festival of National Integration' and sees a host of activities, including a folkloric spectacle, a central Mass, and a huge pilgrimage. The festival is one of the biggest events of popular religiosity in South America, attracting hundreds of thousands of faithful and national and international tourists each year.

The Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña

The festival is based on a Marian legend featuring a young shepherdess, similar to the story of Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes. According to the legend, which dates back to the late 1700s, the Virgin Mary appeared to a poor shepherd girl on the hills near Quillacollo. The Virgin Mary told the girl to gather stones from the hillside and take them back to her family. When the girl returned home, the stones had turned to silver, and her family was pulled out of poverty. When the girl was asked about the Virgin Mary's whereabouts, she responded in Quechua: "Urqupiña" ("she is already in the hill").

The festival is a fusion of Catholic faith and Bolivian tradition, attracting people from across the globe. It is one of the most spectacular religious and folk festivals in Bolivia and South America. During the festival, Indian traditions and Catholic rites are closely linked, and the Virgin of Urkupiña is recognised as the patron saint of integration.

The festival traditionally begins on 14 August with up to 15,000 dancers performing all day in traditional costumes to Bolivian folkloric music. On 15 August, while dancing and parades continue, thousands of devout Catholics make a pilgrimage to the church for prayers, penance, and blessings. On the night of the 15th, thousands of people of all ages begin "el calvario", an eight-mile walk from Cochabamba to Quillacollo, either as a promise or penance. On 16 August, the final day of the festival, pilgrims attend mass at the Temple of St. Idelfonso, followed by a climb up Cota Hill, where the Virgin of Urkupiña first appeared.

The Legend of the Virgin of Urkupiña

As these encounters became more frequent, the girl started returning home later than usual, which worried her parents. When they asked her about it, she told them about the woman and the boy, whom she called "la mamita" (meaning "the little mother"). Her parents became suspicious and decided to follow her to the hills to see if she was telling the truth. As they approached, the woman and child climbed to the top of the hill. The girl pointed at them and shouted, "Urqupiña jaqaypiña, urqupiña!", which means "there, on the hill" in Quechua.

When the parents and some villagers reached the top of the hill, the woman and child had vanished, but they caught a glimpse of a celestial being disappearing into the trees. Convinced that they had witnessed a miracle, they ran back to town and told the priest, who then called all the villagers to meet at the site of the apparition. The townspeople built a small shrine at the top of the hill and placed a statue of the Virgin Mary there. This statue can now be seen in the Matriz temple in Quillacollo, which has become a pilgrimage centre.

The Virgin of Urkupiña is believed to be the Virgin of abundance, and thousands of faithful gather every year to pray, dance, and sing to her, asking for favours or giving thanks for wishes granted. The Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña, celebrated annually from August 14 to 16, has become one of the most spectacular religious and folk festivals in Bolivia and South America. The festival features folkloric parades, music, dancing, colourful costumes, and traditional Bolivian food and drinks.

Quillacollo, Bolivia

Quillacollo is a city in the province of the same name, in the Cochabamba Department of Bolivia. It is located 13-14km west of Cochabamba City and has a population of approximately 142,724 people, making it the second-fastest-growing city in Bolivia. Quillacollo is a market town with a significant agricultural industry, as well as some industry and a district court.

Quillacollo is known for its Virgen de Urqupiña festival, held annually on 15 August. The festival is officially called the "Festival of National Integration" and includes folkloric spectacles, a central Mass, and a huge pilgrimage during which people profess their Catholic faith and engage in rituals that are seen as standing in opposition to Catholic orthodoxy, or even as outright pagan. People pray and make offerings to the Virgin of Urqupiña for health, money, and luck, and greet pachamama (mother earth) with alcohol and food. A curious rite during the festival involves extracting rocks from a hill near the sanctuary of the Virgin, which people then take home and must return the following year as a symbolic act of asking the Virgin to lend them something.

The Urqupiña festival attracts hundreds of thousands of faithful and tourists from Bolivia and around the world, and is one of the biggest events of popular religiosity in South America. The central days of the festival are 14-16 August, though preparations and aftermath stretch the event over the entire month.

Quillacollo has a post-colonial blend of architecture, with modern buildings and houses. The city has a varied gastronomic scene, with several restaurants, and is also known for its electronic goods, which are cheaper than in Cochabamba. Tourism is one of Quillacollo's main economic resources, with hotels, hostels, and flea markets, especially during the Urqupiña festival.

The Virgin of Abundance

The story of the Virgin of Urkupiña is rooted in the late 17th century, when, according to legend, a young shepherdess tended her family's flock of sheep near the town of Quillacollo, located about 14 kilometres from Cochabamba, Bolivia. One day, the girl encountered a woman carrying a child, who began to speak to her in Quechua, their native language. The two met frequently, playing and conversing in the hills while the girl herded her sheep. These encounters caused the girl to lose track of time, leading to her parents' concern and curiosity. When they followed their daughter to the hills, they witnessed a miraculous vision—the woman and child ascending into heaven. As they vanished, the girl exclaimed in Quechua, "Jaqaypiña urqupiña, urqupiña!", meaning "There, on the hill".

The townspeople built a shrine at the top of the hill, now known as Cota Hill, where they placed an image of the Virgin. Catholics believe that the woman and child were the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. The Virgin of Urkupiña is regarded as a patron saint of abundance and integration, answering prayers and bestowing blessings of health, wealth, and good fortune.

The Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña is a vibrant celebration of faith and culture, blending indigenous traditions and Catholic rituals. Thousands of dancers and musicians participate in processions honouring the Virgin, adorned in colourful costumes and masks. The festivities include plentiful food and drink, handicrafts, decorations, and traditional music and dancing. Pilgrims make their way to the temple of St. Idelfonso for a special mass, and many climb Cota Hill, where they collect small rocks and purchase miniature replicas of desired objects, symbolising their petitions to the Virgin.

The devotion to the Virgin of Urkupiña extends beyond Bolivia, reaching neighbouring Andean countries and communities in Spain. Her image is housed in the Matriz temple in Quillacollo, which has become a pilgrimage centre, drawing devotees from near and far.

The Festival of National Integration

The festival is a religious celebration in honour of the Virgin Mary, who, according to legend, appeared to a young shepherdess near Quillacollo in the late 1700s. The girl, who was tending her family's flock of sheep, met a woman carrying a baby and they spoke to each other in Quechua, the local language. The woman and child climbed to the top of a hill, and when the girl's parents and the town's elders and priests arrived, the woman and child vanished. The townspeople built a shrine at the top of the hill, which later became a chapel, and the Virgin of Urkupiña became one of the most venerated patron saints in Bolivia.

The festival traditionally begins on 14 August, with thousands of dancers performing in traditional costumes to Bolivian folkloric music. On 15 August, thousands of devout Catholics make a pilgrimage to the church for prayers, penance, and blessings. On the same day, at midnight, thousands of people of all ages walk the eight miles from Cochabamba to Quillacollo, either as a promise or as penance. Vendors sell miniature handcrafted items, which people buy and then present to the Virgin, along with promises, in the hope that she will grant their wishes over the coming year. On 16 August, pilgrims attend mass at the town's church, the Temple of St. Idelfonso, and then climb Cota Hill, where the Virgin is said to have appeared.

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