Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
When we arrived in Copacabana near the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana
we could hear a brass band playing in the Basilica’s plaza.
Clearly, on this sunny Saturday morning, a ceremony of some sort was taking place.
Once we were inside the plaza there were women and men of all ages
in very colorful customs dancing to the music.
The dance is a traditional dance in Bolivia called La Morenada.
Anthropologists say the dance is a satire, inspired by the suffering of black slaves
who were brought to Bolivia to work in the Andean silver mines.
La Morenada is easily recognizable in a procession because it has various characteristics:
There are many rattles and drums, groups of women are dressed
in polleras (multilayered skirts) with bowler hats,
while men wear costumes that supposedly represent barrels
and wear silver or black masks (Morenada means ‘black’).
The origin of La Morenada stems from Lake Titicaca,
based on 200/300-year-old cave paintings found there, depicting these dances.
Video and Images by kenne
