The Catholic religion has been the official religion in Bolivia until 2009, when the New Political Constitution of the State is approved and Bolivia becomes a secular State, however 80% of the population remain Catholic.
In colonial times, the Spaniards were intolerant of the beliefs of the native peoples of Central and South America.
To evangelize the natives, they used harsh methods, such as the construction of Christian churches above indigenous temples. As a consequence, the original Americans adopted the Christian religion, while continuing to practice their own and the fusion of these beliefs gives a kind of syncretism, which characterizes Latin American culture.
In the Andean world there are two predominant cultures: Aymara and Quechua. In both the “Pachamama” Mother Earth is venerated.
As a result of the imposition of the Catholic religion many deities of indigenous peoples continued to worship, through the Christian saints. An example illustrating the figure is the symbiosis between the previously mentioned Pachamama and the Virgin Mary. Something similar happens to the God Thunupa that is identified with San Bartolome or with Illapa that is associated with the image of Tata Santiago.
Around this syncretism in Bolivia exist many myths and theories, what cannot be denied is that the country counts on a rich cultural component, coming from a plurality of beliefs and customs that when mixing give rise to a huge range of artistic manifestations , plagued with mysticism, rhythms and colors.
