The legend of the Ekeko, as narrated by Antonio Díaz Villamil, dates around 1781 in La Paz, Bolivia. At this time, the city of La Paz was under siege by indigenous people, who were still at war with Spanish forces.
The story of the origin of the Ekeko starts with Paulita Tintaya, an Indian girl who worked for Doña Josefa Ursula de Rojas Foronda, in La Paz.
The girl was in love with Isidoro Choquehuanca. Years before, she had left the hacienda where they both had grown up. Before her departure, Isidoro gave her a small statue to protect her. This small statue was the Ekeko, which was known to the Andean people to be a god of fortune and luck.
At the time of the siege, people were starving to death. Isidoro was enrolled in the indigenous army, and he manage to reach Paulita’s house. Every week, he left her food near the statue, which was placed outside the house, but nobody knew he was doing it. Both Paulita and her boss, Doña Josefa, were able to survive the siege because of the food left near the statue by Isidoro. That is the origin of the beliefs of Ekeko’s powers in providing abundance.
The Friends of Prospero
Peru: Episode VIII • Peru: Episode VII • Peru: Episode VI • Peru: Episode V • Peru: Episode IV • Peru: Episode III • Peru: Episode II • Peru: Episode I
The Two-Headed Serpent
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