Heirs of the Dawn
(HEREDEROS DEL ALBA)
The ancient/precolonial inhabitants of Oruro, Bolivia, named their land uru-uru, which means: the place where the light is born, calling themselves "beings of the dawn".
Every year, come rain or come shine, the dancers mark dance steps several kilometers in the clear air of the andean highlands. Tarkas and trombones, cymbals and drums, prayers and promises are played to honor the patron protector of the miners, the Virgen del Socavón (Our Lady of the Mineshaft).
Their legacy is woven into the work of artisans, who revive, through their art, the soul of the Andean and European deities and the memory of the African slaves. Artisans, musicians and dancers are the living memory of people who celebrate their roots, their culture, their history, from pre-colony to the present days.
