With the arrival of the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, thousands of Bolivians, especially indigenous peoples, celebrated the Andean Amazonian and Chaco New Year 5531 or “Willka Kuti” (Return of the Sun) this June 21 with acts that had its epicenter in the pre-Hispanic archaeological ruins of Tiwanaku, and were replicated in parties held in Amazonian towns, Chaco and mining centers.
The first rays of the sun arrived at Tiwanaku, 71 kilometers from La Paz, at 07:18 local time and were received in the place by around two thousand people bundled up to withstand the Andean cold, with their palms raised facing the astro, with “jallallas” or cheers for the new year and with the sound of “pututus”, which are bull horns used as wind musical instruments.
For the main ritual, the yatiris or Aymara shamans of that highland area set up a large altar with offerings containing coca leaves, incense, sweets, various colored wool, honey and llama fetuses dipped in alcohol, which they then set on fire. in honor of Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Inti (Sun), following an ancient tradition.
The celebration was held with music and Andean dances in the ruins of what in pre-Hispanic times was the Tiahuanacota temple and Kalasasaya astronomical observatory, where the Puerta del Sol is located, famous for its engravings of an icon representing the Sun, and of beings winged that would symbolize a solar and lunar calendar, according to the archaeologists of the place.
The events were headed by Bolivian President Luis Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca, who is from the Aymara people.
Like all attendees, the two authorities looked very warm with Andean ponchos and raised their palms to the sun as a sign of welcoming the new year, which since 2009 has been a national holiday in Bolivia.
The celebration of the supposed 5,531 years of life of the Andean cultures are the result of counting an antiquity of 5,000 years before 1492 and adding another 531 years since the arrival of the Spaniards on the new continent.
“We renew our devotion to life”
Arce greeted the “mallkus” or indigenous authorities, as well as the Pachamama and the Inti, in Aymara, and claimed the national character of the festivity.
“Today we renew our devotion to life, our devotion to nature, to living well. Today is an important day, sisters and brothers, throughout our country. In the east, where they are also celebrating the Andean Amazon and Chaco New Year. Everywhere today is a day to be filled with energy to once again ratify the commitment to work, that things go well for us, good omens for all of us,” said Arce.
In its popular origins as a New Year’s party, four decades ago, the celebration was focused on the Andean zone and was claimed by the Aymaras; In 2005, President Carlos Mesa declared the “Aymara New Year” as Intangible, Historical and Cultural Heritage, and in 2009, the then Head of State Evo Morales declared the date a national holiday and changed the name to Andean Amazonian New Year and of the Chaco, for recognition of plurinationality.
The celebration, according to the authorities, takes place in more than 230 places considered sacred by the indigenous peoples of the country. In the region of Santa Cruz (east), the Guarani began the festivity of the Morning Star on Tuesday, which includes rituals in the Inca fort of Samaipata.
In 2019, the United Nations declared June 21 as International Solstice Day to recognize the importance of universal cultural diversity and ancient traditions about agricultural cycles and food production. Unlike the southern hemisphere, which celebrates the winter solstice, in the north, the summer solstice is celebrated.
The protection of the archaeological heritage
The celebration of the party in the middle of the archaeological ruins has always been the subject of controversy, since the place has been a World Heritage Site since 2000, when it was declared so by UNESCO.
In this regard, the director of the Center for Archaeological, Anthropological and Administration Research of Tiwanaku, Gonzalo Choque, told France 24 that this year 800 uniformed personnel were available, including military and police officers, to guarantee patrimonial security, in addition to hundreds of members of the “indigenous guard” organized by Aymara authorities.
He defended that the Andean peoples have these living cultural manifestations deeply rooted and it is part of their tradition to enter Tiwanaku, which is done under manageable capacity conditions and heritage protection since there are still remains that have not been unearthed in the place.
He estimates that around two thousand people visited the ruins that day.
Regarding the controversies about the age of 5,531 years, he maintained that it is based on the existence of ancient peoples of the Andean zone with a date of 5,000 years, although he recognized that these are “debatable issues, as long as science advances so that they do not we have doubts”.
“These ceremonies are not created by contemporary people, but rather date from Tiwanaku times because we have found evidence of ceremonies in burials that validate what we are doing,” he said.
According to archeology, Tiwanaku dated back 1,500 years BC, and in its greatest development as an expansive state it reached what would be today the territories of Peru, and northern Chile and Argentina.
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