Carnaval: Folklore expressed

Bolivia’s history is complex and unfortunately, invovles suffering inflicted by the spanish colonizers. One thing they never took from them, though, was their story. Folklore continues to keep their strength alive. Passed down from elders to the youth, was their story of survival and resistance.

Each region has it’s own separate groups within it, represented by different styles of music, dance and costume.

The people of Bolivia

who’s who?

-la Morenada

heavier, full body costumes portraying the mockery of the spanish enslavers who forced the indiginous and trfficked africans to work in the silver mines of potosí.

-la diablada

also is represented using ornate, full body costumes, but they depict angels and demons. the fight between good and evil plays a major role in this event since religion has always set the tone for those from the region. Themes combine the traditional miner folklore and catholic influence.

-tobas

dancers reenact cerimonial fighting traditional to the potosí region as well.

-caporales

dancers wearing the boots with bells and military-style costume. The story behind this group is the relationship between the enslavers and the enslaved. Eventually, some of the enslaved became overseers over the others. This created a complicated dynamic between them.

*there are many more groups represented during carnaval as well!

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Bolivia II

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