Tinku Festival

by © Paul Dodson 2008

Festival Location: Macha, Bolivia

Festival Type(s): Harvest Festivals , Combat Sports Events, Bizarre Festivals

Festival Video: Tinku Festival

Each May thousands of indigenious Bolivian indians descend on the isolated, mountanous city of Macha in the hope of picking a fight. The 600 year old pre-Hispanic Bolivian festival of Tinku sees villager pitted against villager in a toe to toe slug fest that doesn't stop until blood is spilt on the ground. The blood: an offering to the earth goddess - Pachamama - to ensure a good harvest for the coming year. The desired result: the more spilt, the better.

Over the years dozens have died, yet the rite continues, albeit today with some limited policing. Nowadays, fighting to the death is a no-no, but not so in the past. For some of the poorest people in South America living off what they can srcatch from the land, life is literally a battle.

Tinku Festival - When, Where and More Info Please

When: May annually

Where: Macha, Bolivia

More Info Please: For more information take a look at the Wikipedia article on Tinku.

Tinku Festival Video

A fascinating and brutal glimpse at the pre-Hispanic ritual of Tinku (a word that means encounter in both Aymara and Quechua) which sees indigenoius Bolivians gather in the mountanous region of Potosi to fight until blood is spilt on the ground and Pachamama - the earth goddess - is appeased. Those offended easily may want to click away now.