Oruro

About

The vibrant city of Oruro is famed for its annual carnival, Carnaval de Oruro, which takes place in February or March and sees the indigenous locals dance for the devil to appease him for stealing his precious metals. Filled with lavish costumes, traditional dancing and outlandish parades, everything about the carnival is colourful and it’s not to be missed! Oruro is a mining city, primarily for tin, copper and silver. You can learn more about the industry at the Museo Sacro, Folklórico, Arqueológico y Minero where you’ll descend to the underground for a history of the trade brought to you by actual miners. The museum is attached to the Santuario de Virgen de Socavón, the church for worship of the ‘Virgin of the Mineshaft’’, patron saint of the miners. Her monument stands some 45 metres high in another part of town, offering striking views of the city and its surroundings.