Thousands flock to Cerro de Cota for central day of Urkupiña festival

Thousands of pilgrims ascended Cerro de Cota in Quillacollo, Bolivia, for a key day of the Virgen de Urkupiña festival. This central event featured a traditional pilgrimage, a significant religious service, and the symbolic extraction of stones, drawing vast numbers of devotees.

The faithful embarked on a challenging 14-kilometer walk from Cochabamba, beginning in the early hours of Sunday morning. This arduous journey culminated at the Sanctuary of Urkupiña, with the first groups arriving at the Temple of San Ildefonso around 5:00 AM. A pivotal moment of the day was the Calvario Mass, held at 11:00 AM at an altar erected on Cerro de Cota, where attendees renewed their faith and fulfilled vows to the Virgin.

A deeply ingrained custom of the Urkupiña celebration involves pilgrims extracting small stones from the hill. These stones are seen as representing a "loan" from the Virgin, symbolizing desires for health, economic prosperity, or the acquisition of property. Tradition dictates that these symbolic stones must be returned the following year.

The immense turnout necessitated enhanced security and traffic management. The Bolivian Police and the Quillacollo municipality deployed additional personnel to manage vehicle flow and ensure the safety of the pilgrims throughout the day's events. The religious activities marking the core of Urkupiña concluded with Sunday's events, with the festival transitioning to its traditional Alasitas Fair starting Monday.