Virgin of Urkupina

The Virgin of Urkupiña or Urqupiña is an invocation of the Virgin Mary Asunta, which is venerated on August 15 in the city of Quillacollo, the provincial capital 14 km from the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia.

Legend

According to popular tradition, at the end of the XVII century, to the southwest of Quillacollo, lived a family of peasants who they subsisted thanks to the usefulness of their small flock of sheep that was in the care of the youngest daughter. The girl went daily to the low hills in front of Cota, past the Sapinku river, where there was plenty of grass for her herd. One day in August, a lady with a child in her arms appeared to her, with whom she had long conversations in the local language, Quechua. The shepherdess played with that child in the waters of a spring that gushed from the rocks.

Since then, the girl almost always delayed returning to her parents' hut. When they asked her why, the girl recounted her encounters with the lady she called “ the mommy and the boy ”. She said that they descended to play with her in the chimpa juturis (or chimpa pilas), which was the name and continues to be called the two springs of clear and sweet water located at the foot of the hill. Upon hearing her, her parents were alarmed and went repeatedly to the green hill to convince themselves of the incredible stories.

When the "Mommy" rancherío, that notified of the event decided to make sure of its veracity, going to the place where the girl led them. The Virgin, seeing that the little shepherd did not appear, got up from where she was and went up the hill, while the girl shouted pointing with her finger, in Quechua "Jaqaypiña urqupiña, urkupiña", which in Spanish means "already on the hill"" (urqu=hill, piña=already), hence the Spanish name. When they reached the top, the lady disappeared, but they managed to see a celestial image that vanished in the tangle of carob trees, cacti and ululas. Convinced that the vision was strange, they ran to the town. The parish priest summoned the residents, and together with other authorities they went to the place of the prodigy in front of the Cota ranch. The boisterous crowd took this image to the Quillacollo chapel and since then it has been known as the Virgin of Urkupiña, which is highly venerated by the Bolivian people and the stories of the miracles that are lavished on its devotees are extraordinary. In that place, a chapel of the Virgin was built, which has been moved to the Matriz de Quillacollo temple, where pilgrims from all over Bolivia and South America arrive to venerate the patron saint of National Integration. (The story was prepared by Monsignor Francisco Cano Galvarro and Mercedes Anaya de Urquidi).

History and documentation

Although there is no data regarding the exact date of the official recognition of the Virgin of Urkupiña as an authentic Marian image, according to some sources it is established that the cult of said image dates back to the time of the viceroyalty, century XVI. However, there is not a single document that reliably supports this statement and it is more possible that the cult began around the middle of the century XVIII.

The history of the Virgin of Urkupiña dates back to viceregal times, as indicated in "the Legend of the Virgin", where a shepherdess communicates her encounters with a great Lady, who when getting lost in the mountains points to the lady saying in her native language "Urkupiña", which means "she is already on the hill ".

This is how this story of faith begins with "Our Lady the Virgin Mary of Urkupiña", although there is a lack of precise documentation about the beginnings of this festival, as it is a festival of the "indians" which is carried out in the doctrine of the "Valle Grande de San Ildefonso de Quillacollo". His party is celebrated every August 15 in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The explicit documentation about the festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña mentions:

"One of the most costly burdens for the fast and solemnity of its celebration is the feast of the Virgin, which on August 15, performs the Curate of Vallegrade of San Ildefonso de Quillacollo, exceeding the expenses of this to the two thousand pesos and more" (1760)

A painting of the image of the Mother in Viceroyalty art dating from 1761, under the name of "Virgen de Urkupiña".

"Looking for the car that is found in this original book that your mercy under the precept of Holy obedience, beg for the pearls belonging to Ntra.Mrs of Orqopiña and other goods extracted belonging to this Church" (Book of Factory of the Church of San Ildefonso de Quillacollo, 1770).

"The light of the Church of Quillacollo in most of the year is helped with the waxes that the devotees lead to the feast of Our Lady known with the name of Urkupiña." (Book of Factory of the Church of Quillacollo 1848 - 1855)

Among the many stories told about the Virgin, the inhabitants of Quillacollo point out that the soldiers from Quillacollo enlisted in the Aroma battalion, which belonged to the Colorados Regiment, when saying goodbye to Quillacollo, asked for the protection of the patron saint and took with them an image embroidered on cloth and more than one Pacific veteran narrated that the "Virgin of Urkupiña" came to their aid..." (1880)

Her intercession was also important during the Chaco War (1932 - 1934), the soldiers appointed godmothers to important ladies of the time, who with all love and good faith in the miracles of the "Virgin of Urkupiña" a scapular with the image and blessing of the "Virgin of Urcupiña" to accompany them on the battlefields.

In the '70s', Santa Cruz grew by leaps and bounds and suddenly the Urkupiña festival was filled with people from Santa Cruz who began to take part in the celebration. Most of them were merchants who came to prostrate Mamita's money and returned to repay the loan. Thus, the cult of the Virgin opened three ministries: finance, housing, and transportation, because people came to ask for a small plate, a small house, or a small truck.

In the '80s' The publication of articles in a book under the direction of the journalist Rafael Peredo Antezana with the title "El Milagro de Urkupiña" (1979), where valuable information from many years of history is collected, such as the one where it was announced that more than ten thousand pilgrims from Santa Cruz traveled to Urkupiña.

Temple of San Ildefonso

One of the most important historical monuments that Quillacollo has is the Church of San Ildefonso, which began to be built long after the miraculous events of the apparition of the Virgin. The first stone of the temple was placed in 1908, being the parish priest the Rev. Father Fructuoso Mencia, and was concluded in 1947 with the Mos. Francisco Cano Galvarro. The Patron Saint of National Integration, the Virgin Mary of Urkupiña, is enthroned on its altar.

Sanctuary

Since time immemorial, Our Lady has been venerated in the temple of San Ildefonso de Quillacollo, Archdiocese of Cochabamba, under the title of Virgin Mary of Urkupiña, receiving parishioners, pilgrims and devotees from all over the country and abroad, not only on holidays but all year long. According to Canon Law, it is planned to declare Sanctuary to the sacred places, it was declared on December 8, 1998, by Decree ARZ. 1998/091, by Mons. René Fernández Apaza Archbishop of Cochabamba, to the Temple of San Ildefonso Sanctuary of Our Lady Virgin Mary of Urkupiña.

Basilica

It is a long-awaited project that will be resumed after more than 20 years of waiting. There is a consolidated and walled land of more than 20 hectares owned by the Quillacollo Parish. It is expected that the building will house more than 10,000 people inside and 5,000 outdoors.

Party

The mass pilgrimage of devotees to the Calvary of the Virgin Mary of Urqupiña, at the Cerro Quta, place of its appearance.

Currently, the festivity in honor of the Virgin of Urkupiña forms a series of events that mark life in Quillacollo in July and August. They begin with the Lavish Folkloric Entrance on August 14, a parade of about ten thousand costumed dancers and accompanied by musicians, an event inspired by the Oruro Carnival that during the second half of the twentieth century managed to concentrate and standardize the multitude of Bolivian folkloric expressions. and now it constitutes the maximum expression of the national and urban folkloric-religious complex of Bolivia for its color and majesty, for the participation of thousands of parishioners and adorned with its varied music and dances.

On August 15, the solemn festive mass is celebrated, with the assistance of the Ecclesiastical, National and Departmental Authorities of Bolivia, which ends with the procession of the image of the Virgin of Urkupiña through some streets of the city center of Quillacollo and the repetition of the Folkloric Entry.

The festival culminates on the 16th with the popular pilgrimage to the Cota hill (Calvario) where, according to tradition, the Virgin appeared. At Calvary, a series of rites are performed, such as the removal of pieces of stone as a sign of the loan of spiritual and material goods, with the promise of returning the following year to return the corresponding interest; and there is also the symbolic purchase of small lots of land and other miniature objects (houses, mobility, professional titles, etc.), with the hope of acquiring a real one until next year. In both cases, the ch'alla (libation and offering to Pachamama) is performed, asking the Virgin of Urkupiña for blessings and favors.

The festival usually attracts close to a million parishioners and national and international tourists and constitutes an important milestone in both religious and social life, as well as in the economy, folklore, and tourism in Bolivia and South America.

Awards

Ch'alla of the lots of land and other objects in the Calvary of the Virgin Mary of Urqupiña.

On December 8, 1998, she was named Patroness of National Integration by the Bolivian government.

On August 13, 2012, the Virgin of Urkupiña was awarded the Medal of Honor for Cultural Merit, in recognition of her image and her festivity as part of one of the greatest cultural expressions of Bolivia.

Cultural and material heritage proposal

For several years, UNESCO has considered proposing the Feast of the Virgin of Urkupiña as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 2019, this proposal began to be promoted, due to its cultural and religious syncretism where traditional practices coexist pre-Columbian ancestors with current religious practices.

Devotion in other countries

Celebration of the [Virgen de Urkupiña de la comunidad boliviana en Madrid.

Due to Bolivian emigration, the Virgin of Urkupiña has begun to be celebrated in numerous cities around the world where there are large and medium-sized Bolivian communities, such as:

• Barrio «Villa El Libertador», Córdoba, It has been celebrated since 1982.
• In the city of Río Gallegos Argentina. It has been held since 2009.
• The Bolivian community of Rincón de los Sauces, Argentina, has joined this celebration in recent years.
• In the city of Calama is celebrated since the end of the centuryXX..
• In the village of Fuente Vaqueros, Spain, the Bolivian community of Granada has begun to celebrate this festival in recent years.
• The Bolivian community of Liverpool in the city of Sydney, Australia has been celebrating this party since 1993.
• Bolivian residents in Tandil, Argentina, since 2014. His custodians/slaves are the Menacho-González family.
• In the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, since 1998. The celebration is held in honor of the Virgin of Urkupiña. It's Patron of a radio station named after her. It is enthroned in Our Lady of the Rosary of New Pompeii.
• In the city of Bergamo (Italy) comes the first image in 2002, celebrating the party since then. Currently the image is enthroned in the Church of San Bartolomé (Bérgamo centre).
• In the city of La Plata (Argentina) the Bolivian community gathers to celebrate it in a temple dedicated to it, belonging to the parish of Our Lady of Light.