Bolivia's iconic 'moreno' mask displayed in La Paz park

La Paz has unveiled an iconic 'moreno' mask, a significant symbol of Bolivian folklore, in a bustling urban park. This installation is part of a program aimed at making cultural heritage and art accessible in public spaces.

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This work will be permanently in the park so that it can be known and visited by the national public and by the different delegations of foreigners who travel the cable car line.

The mask, now a permanent fixture at the Park of Cultures and Mother Earth, represents the 'moreno' character from the 'morenada' dance. This dance is one of the main attractions of the Festivity of Señor Jesús del Gran Poder, which UNESCO declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019. The 'morenada' dance itself is a historical reenactment, portraying the difficult lives of enslaved Africans brought to the Bolivian highlands during the colonial period.

Crafted by the Condori family, known for their decades-long tradition of creating folkloric masks, this particular piece depicts a colonial-era 'moreno' with a long white beard and prominent eyes. The dance's characteristic slow, sideways steps are said to represent the physical exhaustion of these enslaved individuals working in the mines of Potosí and later in the Yungas region.

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The 'morenada' is the exhaustion of the Africans who arrived at the mines of Potosí and who could not adapt and who (later) settled in the Yungas.

While the 'moreno' mask is a key element of Bolivian cultural expression, officials clarified that it does not represent the identity of Afro-Bolivian communities. This distinction is important for appreciating Bolivian heritage respectfully and celebrating the living cultural practices passed down through generations of mask artisans.

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the face of the moreno 'is part of the historical and cultural evolution of Bolivia', but clarified that 'it does not constitute' an element with which Afro-Bolivian peoples identify.