Ekeko and the Alasita fair: abundance in miniature in the Andes
Ekeko, the little Aymara god of abundance, and the Alasita fair in La Paz: pre-Hispanic roots, the siege of 1781, the miniatures and UNESCO recognition.
In La Paz, Bolivia, a remarkable fair opens every year on 24 January: stalls sell miniature houses, cars, suitcases, sacks of food, banknotes and even university diplomas. This is the Alasita fair, linked to the figure of Ekeko, the little Andean deity of abundance. The fair's name comes from the Aymara language and, according to the most widespread explanation, means roughly “buy me”, an invitation addressed to passers-by by the thousands of objects on display.
A small god laden with goods
Ekeko is depicted as a smiling little man with a moustache and round cheeks, dressed in traditional Andean clothes and a woollen cap. Hanging from him are bags of food, tools, money and household objects in miniature: everything a family could wish for in the year ahead. Tradition holds that those who entrust their wishes to him, in the form of miniatures, will see them fulfilled in the following months, and that Ekeko must be treated with care and gratitude.
The figure's roots are considered pre-Hispanic and tied to the cultures of the high plateau, especially the Aymara. It has been suggested that he can be linked to ancient stone figurines found in the region of Lake Titicaca, but Ekeko's present appearance, with his clothes and moustache, is the result of transformations that took place in the colonial and modern periods, when the figure also took on mestizo features.
The colonial origins of the fair
The history of the fair is linked to a dramatic episode: the siege of La Paz in 1781, led by the indigenous leader Túpac Katari during the great Andean rebellions against Spanish rule. According to the traditional account, after the siege ended the governor Sebastián de Segurola promoted a fair dedicated to Ekeko, fixing it on 24 January. The sources on these events are partly disputed, but the connection between the festival and that period is widely accepted.
Over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the fair grew into one of the city's most important events. Alongside the traditional miniatures of food and farm tools, modern objects appeared, such as computers, passports, plane tickets and residence permits, reflecting the hopes of today's families and, in particular, their dreams of migrating abroad.
Miniatures, blessings and heritage
The miniatures purchased are often blessed on the first day of the fair, both by Catholic priests and by Andean ritual specialists, in a blend typical of Bolivian religious life. In 2017 UNESCO inscribed the ritual journeys in La Paz during Alasita on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The festival is also celebrated in other Bolivian cities and in Andean communities of neighbouring countries, such as Peru, where Ekeko is popular especially in the Puno region.
Ekeko embodies a particular way of understanding luck: not a sudden stroke of fortune, but the concrete image of what one desires, kept before one's eyes throughout the year. His miniatures tell the social history of the Andes, from farm harvests to dreams of migration, recounted with irony and hope. He is a lucky charm that speaks of community, work and shared wishes.