Ekeko

Ekeko
God of abundance
Other names	Aymara: iqiqu Quechua: ekjakjo
Region	Andean high plateau
Ethnic group	Aymara
Festivals	Alasitas

The Ekeko is the Tiwanakan (pre Columbian civilization) god of abundance and prosperity in the mythology and folklore of the people from the Andean Altiplano Its chief importance in popular culture is as the main figure of the annual Alasitas fair, a cultural event that happens every January 24th in La Paz, Bolivia. The Ekeko is a traditional god of luck and prosperity, popular in Bolivia, Cochabamba, and neighboring regions, like northern Argentina and northern Chile.

The name Ekeko comes from the alteration of the original term Ekhako or Eqaqo, popularized as Ekhekho which was the ancient god of fortune and prosperity in the Qullasuyu. The Ekhako was often invoked when a disgrace disturbed their homes.

The scholar Ernesto Cavour in his book Alasitas, makes reference to anthropomorphic and zoomorphic stone, mud and gold figures that were found in the areas belonging to the Bolivian departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosí. Cavour considers that these figures were made using basalt—extracted from the pre-Columbian mines in the shores of the Lake Poopó—and andesite from the Copacabana peninsula.

Carlos Ponce Sanginés, for his part, focus his researches in the anthropomorphic figures with phallic elements and prominent humps which, in his opinion, go back to the Inca civilization and, according to his observations, they would correspond to the predecessors of the colonial Ekeko.

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