The Devil You Know

by M.P. Pellicer | Stranger Than Fiction Stories
His face is chalky, with eyes as dark as his mustache. The mouth is open below nostrils blackened from cigarette smoke, and his name is Uncle. 

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Tio devil depicted in a mine in Potosi, Peru

For the native population in the Andes, this tradition has produced hundreds of these devils which are found throughout mines in South America. The whole Altiplano region extending to neighboring countries believe in this king of the underground.

The typical statue is a horned devil, or a figure in the shape of a goat representing the Devil. It's covered with varied adornments, sitting on a throne with hands extended to receive his due. The feet are shod in rubber mining boots. Hard to miss is his erect penis to remind those who come before him of his virility. This devil's kingdom is Bolivia's tin mines, even though no miner will refer to him as supay, which is the Quechua word for devil. Instead the more familial tio, Spanish for uncle is used.

Tio protects miners from accidents as they work in the deep, black holes, but he can also bring harm. Part of his allure is that he can bring prosperity in the quest for veins of tin and silver. In order to placate Tio to both avert disaster or for his generosity, homage is paid him through Pachamama. What he is given depends on the day of the week. Coca leaves, hand-rolled cigarettes on Tuesday and Friday, accompanied by white rum to quench his thirst. 

El Tio is believed to reward those who pay him tribute and to punish those who violate a taboo such as eating in the mine, eating salty food before entering or bringing a woman to the mine. Anyone wearing a skirt whether it's a woman or a clergyman is despised by El Tio. Sometime this devil collapses a mine for no reason other than to restock his energy.

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Sacrificial llamas meant to appease the devil El Tio by Bolivian miners (Source - Aizar Raldes AFP)

The miners perform cha'alla each carnival Tuesday, pouring the earth around his image with chicha which is rum or beer. He is surrounded by food, and confetti garlands are draped around his neck.

This ritual is performed by yatari or indigenous witch doctors once a year in February or March, on the eve of the street parade of the Oruro carnival. It is one of Bolivia's biggest festivals, and is listed by UNESCO as an "intangible cultural heritage." 

Another blood sacrifice known as wilancha is performed differently. The miners "take a live llama and place it in a mining cart with offerings impregnated with alcohol and kerosene," lighting it as it enters the depths of the mine. The animal is incinerated alive, and afterwards consumed by the participants. What is left is buried as part of the "payment" to Tio and his mine. The offerings are supposedly meant to repay the earth for the minerals taken by the miners.

Carnival time is when El Tio Diablo leaves the mines, disguised as Lucifer where he dances with other demons. Women are strictly forbidden from entering mines or participating in ceremonies, as there is a fear the veins of minerals will disappear. Even women who have lost their husbands in mining accidents, and known as palliris must work outside the mines where they scavenge through piles of debris.

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Llamas being wheeled towards a fiery and agonizing death to appease El Tio

One day before August 1 comes the toast of K'araku, where a llama is sacrificed. The animal's blood is poured on the threshold of the mine, and the rest is splattered on the walls. Some miners smear their faces with the blood as well, taken from the still-beating heart of the animals. This is considered good luck.

The llama's heart once removed is placed at the statue's feet. After this everyone must leave the mine so El Tio can enjoy his meal, since the blood and hearts of the animal are his favorite meal. 

The Tio Devil is found throughout the mining districts of the central Andes. The muqui, similar to the the Tio is found in Peru's Ticlio, Morococha, Cerro de Pasco and other mines. The muqui must also be appeased in order to receive his protection.

Despite the offerings made to the Devil Uncle and other similar demons, 8 million men have died in the Cerro Rico mountain in Potosi since pre-Columbian times. The belief is that if El Tio is not fed, he will feed on human flesh, so it appears he is a hungry devil.

​Statues of a Tio are found throughout the mines, where miners go and sit with the idols to keep him company, since he doesn't like to be left alone. Despite the miners identifying as Catholic, most of them believe that God cannot be found in the depth of the mines. Only El Tio can protect them as they scramble down narrow passages into the bowels of the earth. ​

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Dating back hundreds of years human and animal sacrifices have been committed by the Quechua people who live in this region

The sacrifices made to El Tio recall the earlier religious ceremonies from the Inca Empire prior to the arrival of Europeans, known as capacocha. In the 1990s, remains of sacrificed children victims were found on the Ampato and Pichu Pichu volcanoes in southern Peru.

Three bodies were found at Ampato at 19,000 feet. The Pichu Pichu capacocha were on a constructed platform at 18,000 feet.

​Capacochas were done to bless shrines, in response to catastrophes and to celebrate major construction activities especially if it involved irrigation. The rituals were also performed annually at the Temple of the Sun in Cusco.

The victims were young virginal women or children who had no imperfections. However there has been evidence that children sacrificed suffered from serious diseases.

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The Juanita Mummy AKA The Lady of Ampato

In an dig that lasted from 1995 to 1999, a total of 20 persons were found ranging in age from 3 to 15 years of age. The children were killed by a blow to the head, buried while alive. Others were strangled or had their heart removed.

One of the remains found at Pichu Pichu displayed cranial modification in an oblique manner done since infancy which caused elongation.

​Pichu Pichu is a deity that shepherds make offering to in order to gain his protection for themselves, and their herds. 

Children were sacrificed at the summits of Ampato and the volcano Pichu Pichu since these mountains are believed to be deities.

Remains of sacrificed children have been found throughout the years. These are some of them:

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• The girl Tanta Carhua (Cusco Peru):
  According to the chroniclers Tanta Carhua was a 10-year-old natural child of Ocros, who was offered by his father in exchange for being named cacique. After being taken to Cusco where she participated in the celebrations of worship of the Sun and the Inca, the girl returned to her native town in the company of notable representatives of her people. Dressed like a princess ascended to the top of the mountain, she was numbed with a special drink and placed in a hole about 3 meters deep, which was then sealed. Among those who witnessed the event was the girl’s father, who was converted into a cacique by the reigning Inca, as retribution for having given his daughter.
• The lady of Ampato (Arequipa Peru):
  It is known that approximately in the year 1540, the volcano Sabancaya erupted, and the locals to placate the wrath of the volcano offered 3 live girls as a sacrifice. These had to be worshiped by the people of the place for some years, but with the passage of time they fell into oblivion, perhaps because it was very difficult to ascend to the mountain of more than 19,000 feet. In 1990, the volcano returned to activity, which left exposed Inca remains. Several feet deep a surprising discovery was unearthed during an excavation. It was a funeral bier in which the body of a frozen girl, who was later baptized as the Juanita Mummy, was found in the fetal position and covered by a blanket. Near her were 2 other girls, and it is probable that they were also part of the sacrifice.
• The children of Salta (Salta Argentina):
  In 1999 at the summit of Llullaillaco Volcano, the American archaeologist Johan Reinhard found the intact bodies of 2 girls and 1 child whose organs were intact; so much so they still had blood in their hearts and lungs. They also had food in their digestive system.  The gentle expression of their faces suggests that they did not suffer at the time of their death. Possibly they were drugged before being sacrificed.
• The child of Cerro el Plomo (Santiago de Chile)
  More than 50 years ago, Chilean muleteers discovered the frozen body of a child on one of the highest peaks of the Andes Mountains, in front of the city of Santiago. The news traveled the world. At that time, the Mummy of Cerro El Plomo, was the archaeological discovery was realized at a height of over 17,000 feet. The body of the child was in a perfect state of preservation, due to the fact that it remained buried permanently in the frozen soil, thus preventing its decomposition.

Elongated skulls from Machu Pichu

In 2011, at a site known as Huanchaquito-Las Llamas 42 children and 67 llamas were initially found. Seven years later the site has revealed the remains of 140 children and 200 llamas. The victims were both boys and girls between the ages of five and fourteen. Examination of the remains found the children's hearts were ripped from their bodies. The victims were brought from various regions within the Chimú Empire.

At Huanchaco, the remains of 227 children was unearthed, making it the largest known child sacrifice site in the world. This slaughter was done during the time the Chimu empire was in power. 

The reason for sacrificing so many children from around the Chimu empire has remained unknown, but could have been attributed to a form of of population control or psychological  intimidation.

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​Other studies point out that some of the ritual massacres in the Andes range back to pre-Inca times, but their numbers and sophistication increased with the expansion of the empire from its capital Cusco. These studies indicate that Capacocha (sacrifices of children) was used as a means of social control. According to these, the tombs acted as warnings designed to instill fear in the conquered peoples. 

Mummied head of a sacrificed llama. Animals were decorated with colored string before being offered up and killed

Animals were sacrificed from ancient times into the present, such as those given over to El Tio. They are adorned with colored string earrings and necklaces.

In 2018, four llama mummies were discovered under the floor of a building. They were ritually sacrificed at the beginning of the 15th century. The site is known as Tambo Viejo. Three white llamas were killed to appease the sun god, and one brown llama to the creator god. Several dozen guinea pigs were killed as well.

​For the Incas, llamas were only second to human beings in their value as sacrificial offerings. Radio carbon dating of the four animals date the remains to between 1432 to 1459. They were not cut or stabbed so researchers believe they were buried alive, as was done to humans who were sacrificed. Intact discoveries like this one confirm accounts of early Spaniards in South America which described that the Inca sacrificed animals by the hundreds. 

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Sarmiento de Gamboa presented to Elizabeth I c.1585

Juan Diez de Betanzos (1510-1576) was a Spanish chronicler who provided a description of the Inca civilization. He based his information on the testimony of his wife Cuxirimay Ocllo (Doña Angelina), who once married Atahualpa, an Inca king. He also interviewed Inca who took part in the Battle of Cajamarca.

He wrote that a large number of children were buried alive after a remodeling of the Temple of the Sun was completed. Betanzos described that when an Inca died a 1,000 children were buried with him, most of them females between the ages of 4 and 5.

Bartolomé Álvarez was a Spanish priest and chronicler who served as a doctrinero (missionary priest) in the region of Charcas, within the Viceroyalty of Peru, during the late 16th century. He arrived in the region of Charcas (modern-day Bolivia) in the 1570s, initially working in Potosí until 1581, then in Sabaya. His writings provide valuable insight into the religious and social dynamics of the colonial Andes during the late 1500s. He wrote where some very young women destined to Capacocha, accepted their destination with pleasure, but those who did not wish to die, were drugged or intoxicated and then sacrificed.

Bernabe Cobo (1580-1657) was a Jesuit missionary, scholar and writer and spent most of his life in Peru and Mexico. He is best known for his work Historia del Nuevo Mundo (History of the New World). His descriptions are known for their accuracy. His work was mostly overlooked until the 19th century. He is credited with bringing cinchona bark, a source of quinine to Europe during a visit in 1632.

In 1639, Cobo wrote: "they were killed by strangulation on a rope, sometimes they were drunk before being killed".

Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532-1592) was a Spanish adventurer, historian, mathematician and astronomer. At one point he was accused by the Inquisition of possessing two magic rings and some magic ink, and following the precepts of Moses. He arrived in Peru in 1557.

He joined the expedition led by Alvaro de Mendaña who searched the southern Pacific Ocean and came across the Solomon Islands in 1568. Gamboa gave the leader indications on how to find Terra Australis Incognita, but de Mendaña discounted them and the expedition never reached New Zealand and Australia. Instead of further exploration de Mendaña decided to return to home port in Peru, however he wanted to take credit for the discoveries for himself. He threw Gamboa's writings overboard and abandoned him in Mexico. Eventually a trial was held where the right man was given credit for the discovery.

In 1572, Gamboa wrote: "I affirm that on the 'Capacocha' party, children were immolated before the idol of Huanacaure.

He served as the governor of the Strait of Magellan (by southern Chile) by the authority of King Philip II in 1580. In 1584 Sarmiento de Gamboa was captured by the English as he headed to Europe. He was presented to Queen Elizabeth I, and they spoke in Latin, the only language they could converse in.

Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala (1535-1616) was also known as Huamán Poma or Waman Poma. He was a Quechua nobleman and a direct descendant of the Inka royal family through his mother. He learned to speak, read and write Spanish from his half-brother Martin de Ayala a mestizo priest. He gained access to the library belonging to the Mercedarian friar Martin de Murua, thereby furthering his education.  He served as an administrator and scribe within the colonial government of the viceroyalty of Peru.

De Ayala wrote that the Capacocha was a celebration held twice a year, in which children were sacrificed.

For many years, the descriptions made by Spanish priests, scholars and conquistadores of human sacrifice throughout Mesoamerica were thought to be prejudiced and exaggerated. However archeological excavations have found that they were accurate not only in the fact that sacrifices took places, but in the amount of persons killed, especially children.

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Demonic entities Los Abuelos from the mines in La Rinconada, Peru

La Rinconada, Peru

Known also as el  infierno en la alturas (Hell in the Heights), this mining town is located near a gold mine which is over 16,700 feet above sea level. The population at one time was estimated to be about 30,000. It is known as "the lawless city of Peru" (la ciudad sin ley del Peru). It is located in the Ianca region on the side of Mount Ananea and at the foot of the Auchita glacier. The average annual temperature is 34 degrees Fahrenheit.

The economy is driven by gold mining run by illegal mining companies, who operate by what is known as cachorreo, where the miners work for a month without pay, and they are allowed to work one day for themselves, where they can take as much ore as they can carry on their shoulders.

Women are banned from working in the mines, however pallaqueras work outside sifting through what is discarded.

The town is plagued by murder and crime. Women and minors are trafficked, and most are the victims of sexual exploitation. The average life expectancy is 35 years. Hypoxia, extreme weather conditions and violence account for short life spans.

In 2019, seven dead miners were found in a tunnel beneath the mountain. They had all been shot in the head. About 100 to 300 bars that also operate as brothels exist in the town and around 4,500 women from Peru, Bolivia and Colombia work there as prostitutes. The majority are minors who have been kidnapped or brought there under false pretenses.

In April 2024, three security guards were shot by a group of hooded men. In November, 2024 a hotel worker found the body of Lourdes Mamani Olarte who was killed by persons unknown. These are only a few of several homicides that take place and are never investigated or solved. ​The town has Peru's highest murder rate.

There is no plumbing or sewer system and pollution has contaminated food and water sources. The populace lives in metal shacks, surrounded by mountains of garbage. There is also significant contamination by mercury of the drinking water and nearby glacier due to the mining practices. It's affected the soil and animals that live in the area, especially if they are down the mountainside.

Like other miners, those at La Rinconada try to placate the lord of the underworld, but they have their own version. They are effigies known as Los Abuelos (grandparents). They are similar to El Tio however they are four dolls with elderly faces, and each is decorated in mining garb. Each mouth has a cigarette or cigar, and the story is that the figures smoke their own cigars. The grandfather has women's underwear on his legs.

It's believed human sacrifice have been given to these entities since it's the greatest chaya, and it insures the gold keeps coming. Women who get drunk are taken to the mines and sacrificed there. If the woman is a virgin, it is the most powerful offering. Since there are no census or registration of any type, there is no record of who lives or dies in La Rinconada.

There are also thieves in the mountains, known as primos (cousins) who kill the miners, and take their equipment.

There are no tourists due to the extreme danger of coming to this place, especially after dark.

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The grandparents: these are four "demonic" dolls that are outside the La Rinconada mine in Puno, Peru. For many years, miners have provided different offerings, including cigarettes, fruits and alcoholic beverages. But the most striking offerings are women's "breeches". According to their own customs, the underwear of a virgin woman is better received by grandparents, who in return give them more gold.