Latin America Research Seminar: “Almitas milagrosas” in Bolivia: Rites and Objects of Devotion as Portals of Hope for the People

On November 8, 2023, PhD Candidate Natalia Chávez Gomes da Silva from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese shared with the CLAS community a chapter of her dissertation that follows the five “almitas milagrosas” throughout the Bolivian highlands. These five women who were murdered by different men in Bolivia between 1973 and 2003 have been iconized as popular saints (“almitas”) by the communities near the site of the tragedies: Mama Adela (Yotala, Chuquisaca), La Niña Patricia (La Paz city), Inocencia Flores (Oruro city) , Santa Cholita (San Benito, Cochabamba), and Shirley Quispe (Sipe Sipe, Cochabamba). After Natalia’s presentation, students and faculty asked questions about the popular saints and their subsequent iconization in the Bolivian highlands. To learn more about the project, please visit the LARS page. Thanks to Natalia and those who participated in a productive and engaging discussion.