Alasitas
largest alasitas fair alacita alacitas alasita spanish feria de la alasitas annual monthlong cultural event starting january la paz bolivia honour ekeko aymara god abundance noted giving miniature item fiesta feria throughout bolivia incorporate alasitas religious observance fiesta virgin copacabana fiesta virgin urkupiña example indigenous aymara people observed event called guyatt precolumbian era people prayed good crop exchanged basic good time evolved accommodate element catholicism western acquisitiveness name aymara word buy arthur posnansky observed tiwanaku culture date near december population used worship deity ask good luck offering miniature wished achieve based posnanskys observation manufacture miniature would origin precolumbian era alasitas fair would first urban expression early year founding la paz specifically founder moved laja bank choqueyapu river occasion juan rodríguez ordered celebration mass spanish indigenous people participated latter wanted contribute bringing small stone idol miniature exchanging stone coin siege la paz sebastián segurola reestablished celebration moving october january gesture gratitude towards lady peace holy figure city la paz named transaction made stone coin slowly cult ekeko reintroduced appeared first time modelled clay nowadays figure usually cast plaster alasitas festival held annually ekeko sprawl along many street park central la paz smaller event held many neighborhood around city people attend event city even travel city inside bolivia buy miniature version good would like give somebody else good blessed one men less frequently woman acting shaman believed somebody give miniature version recipient get real object course following year example good bought household item food computer construction material cell phone house car university diploma even figure domestic worker recipient might hope employ midday january catholic church join celebration blessing gift main cathedral la paz spring festival also celebrates abundance fecundity humanity march elizabeth salguero minister culture nominated alasitas along two bolivian festival unesco world heritage recognition part cultural intangible heritage humanity year feast alasita miniature altiplano puno declared cultural heritage nation peru declaration support alasitas fair ritual use propitiatory miniature part intangible cultural heritage peru ekeko feria de la alasitas boliviancom spanish