ABSTRACT
In the early years of our century, the young South American nations claiming Spain as their mother country were involved in the complex task of inventing a tradition for themselves, one that included an iconicity and an iconography coupled with a story adequate to their “true national identity.” Among Andean nations, modernity was incorporated into the history of cholo culture producing cultural goods such as the religious popular Fiesta. The Fiesta del Señor del Gran Poder (Lord of Great Power) originated at a time of urban development, and it is celebrated once a year in La Paz, Bolivia. Ch’ijni, a peripheral neighborhood of La Paz, bordering the Altiplano, owes so much of its growth and prosperity to the Lord of Great Power that it has even changed its name to Zona del Gran Poder. Following its beginnings as a neighborhood phenomenon, the Fiesta has become one of the most important celebrations in the region, competing today at a national level with the Oruro Carnival and the Fiesta of the Virgin of Urqupiña in Quillacollo for first place in international fame, tourism potential, beer consumption, and aesthetic display.
