WEBVTT

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Hey everyone, Dave here bringing you another

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installment of Interdimensional Swap. This week

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we have an episode from the podcast Susto, and

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this show fucking rules. It's a paranormal folklore

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podcast focused mainly on like Hispanic and Latin

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American like folklore monsters and cryptids

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and spooky spirits and shit. It's a lot of fun.

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The host Aiden is fucking amazing. The good thing

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about it is that if you like what you hear, they

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have what I would call a very extensive bat catalog,

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and I highly recommend checking it out. Yeah,

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so this week, I'm going to bring you an episode

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from them covering a vampiric creature known

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as, and I'm probably butchering this, Obchanchu.

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I hope I pronounced that right. It's like a Bolivian

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folklore tale. But yeah, definitely check it

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out. Again, this is Susto. Enjoy. a ghoul friend

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my name is adrian or aiden either way i am the

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host of the podcast susto Susto is the Spanish

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word for fright and it's also a cultural illness

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or a phenomenon most common in Latin American

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cultures in which people believe that when someone

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experiences a scare that is severe enough, the

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soul separates from the body. There are different

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remedies for this based on which community you're

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speaking to. However, I titled my show Susto

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because it is centered on paranormal folklore

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from Latin American cultures. You're probably

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wondering, who the hell is this guy? What is

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he doing here? Well, Dave and Sarge were so gracious

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as to allow me to possess their podcast this

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week to share my show with you. So if you are

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into scary stories, if you are into history and

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culture, then you may really enjoy Susto. At

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least, I hope you do. And... If you do, you can

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listen to Susto every other Thursday on any podcast

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platform. You can also visit my website sustopodcast

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.com. That's S -U -S -T -O podcast .com. And

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you can follow me on every social media at at

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sustopodcast for any and all updates on the show.

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Once again, I hope that you enjoyed this episode

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and my show. Thank you to Dave and Sarge for

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inviting me to the cryptid cocktail party. And

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I will haunt you later. Bye. Rolando had been

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on the road since dawn. The world around him

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was a cathedral of stone and sky, with the high

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Andes mountains stretching forever. serrated

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peaks like broken teeth biting into the clouds.

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The sun hadn't yet burned through the morning

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mist, and the air shimmered thin and sharp, a

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cold that lived in the bones. His small pickup

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truck crawled along a dirt road carved into the

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mountainside with one lane clinging to cliffs

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that dropped away into nothingness. Below, Valleys

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folded and refolded into a gray -green sea of

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slopes, where llamas grazed like ghosts in the

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distance. The road wound upward through switchbacks

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and blind corners, its edges dusted with frost.

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It was beautiful, heartbreakingly so. The kind

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of beauty that humbled you, made you small. but

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it was also a place that could swallow a person

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whole without a sound. He had told himself this

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trip would be good for him. It was a chance to

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clear his head, deliver supplies to a mining

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camp two days up the range, and feel a little

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less stuck. He liked being alone. The mountains

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didn't ask questions. They didn't judge. They

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simply watched. But the warnings still echoed

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in the back of his mind. Don't travel alone through

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the cerros at night. Keep your doors locked.

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And if you see an old man walking by the road,

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don't stop. People in the village had said it

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with half -smiles, half -serious, as if teasing

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him for being a city boy. He'd laughed it off,

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saying the only things to fear out there were

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bandits and bad weather. Still. He brought his

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pistol. By mid -morning, the fog had lifted.

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The road somehow narrowed even more, barely hugging

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the side of the mountain. One wrong turn could

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mean a plummet into a bottomless mountainside.

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Rolando tightened his grip on the wheel and slowed

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down. He hadn't seen another vehicle in hours.

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No one lived up here except shepherds and the

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occasional miner. Then, he saw something ahead.

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A man stood by the roadside, leaning on a stick.

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He looked impossibly small against the rock face.

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He was hunched, wrapped in a torn poncho that

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fluttered in the wind. His face was nearly hidden

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by a wide, dust -stained hat. Orlando hesitated.

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The man didn't wave, didn't call for help, just

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stood there, watching. Finally, Rolando rolled

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down the window. Está bien, abuelo. You need

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help? The old man turned his head slowly, as

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if the air itself resisted him. His eyes were

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shadowed, but Rolando could see the tremor in

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his hands. The man spoke, his voice rasping like

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dry leaves. My home, up the mountain, too far

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to walk. His words were slow, broken as if each

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one took effort to lift from his chest. Rolando

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glanced at the road. It wound up the slope like

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a serpent, sharp switchbacks disappearing into

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cloud. He sighed and opened the passenger door.

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Está bien, abuelo. Get in, I'll take you. They

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climbed for what felt like hours. The truck jolted

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over rocks and washed out gullies. rattling every

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bolt. Rolando tried to make small talk. So, how

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long you lived up here? The old man's voice came

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low and dry. Long time. You got any family? Gone.

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Rolando chuckled awkwardly. You don't talk much,

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huh? No need. Something about his voice made

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Rolando's skin prickle. It was too calm, too

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patient, almost like the man was saving his breath

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for something important. He risked a glance at

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his passenger. The old man's eyes were fixed

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ahead, unblinking. His hands were folded in his

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lap, but the fingers twitched now and then, like

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they had a mind of their own. The road narrowed

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again. and Rolando focused on driving. By late

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afternoon, clouds rolled in fast. A storm was

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building, looking like dark curtains sliding

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across the peaks. Rolando checked the dashboard

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clock. They should have seen a village by now.

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A few houses, a fence, something. But there was

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nothing ahead. Only rock and fog. Abuelo, he

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said. forcing a smile. You said your home was

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up here, right? How much further? The old man

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slowly turned his head. We are close. Something

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in the way he said it made the hair rise on the

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back of Rolando's neck. Still, he drove on. Minutes

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later, the road ended in a flat clearing of stone

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and dust. No houses, no fences. Just a black

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mouth of a cave cut into the mountain. Rolando

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frowned. This... this is your home? Yes. Come

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in. I thank you. I make food. The old man was

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already opening his door. His movements were

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deliberate, almost mechanical. Rolando hesitated.

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The air here felt heavier. colder as if it came

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from inside the cave itself. Uh, maybe next time,

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abuelo, I still have to - Please. The single

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word was like a weight. Rolando felt foolish

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for being nervous. He'd given the man a ride.

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Maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt. He reached

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behind the seat and took his pistol, just in

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case, and followed the old man. The air inside

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the cave was colder and felt still, dead. Rolando's

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breath came out in clouds that hung too long

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before fading. He could still smell the truck's

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engine oil on his jacket, the dust of the road

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clinging to him like memory. The old man shuffled

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away, his back bent, voice rasping low. This

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way, hijo. This way. Again, Rolando hesitated.

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His flashlight beam trembled across the stone,

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catching what looked like bones. Small ones.

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Animal, maybe. Maybe. The old man turned, his

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shadow stretching impossibly tall against the

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cave wall. Rolando opened his mouth to speak,

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but the words froze. The man was smiling. A slow,

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cracking smile that showed teeth. Too sharp.

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Too long. Then the skin on his face began to

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ripple, veins rising like roots beneath the flesh.

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The old man lunged. Rolando stumbled back, firing

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instinctively. The shot hit the creature square

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in the chest. It staggered, but didn't fall.

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For a moment, Rolando's heart soared with hope.

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Maybe he'd stopped it. But then… The abchanchu

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looked down at the smoking hole in its chest

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and smiled wider. He fired again, and again.

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The echoes bounced off the stone until it sounded

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like the mountain itself was laughing at him.

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The abchanchu didn't flinch. It took a step forward,

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then another. Each footfall was soft, as deliberate

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as a hunter closing distance not out of haste,

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but hunger. Rolando turned and ran. He could

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see the faint glow of daylight ahead from the

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mouth of the cave. He was going to make it. Run,

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hijo. He looked back just long enough to see

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it not walking, but gliding, almost floating,

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its body unfurling into something massive, horned,

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wings of shadow brushing the walls. Rolando burst

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out into the light. Stumbling into the gravel

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and dust, he turned and raised the pistol again,

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hands shaking, tried to aim, but he was out of

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bullets. The Apchanchu emerged in front of him,

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framed by the cave's darkness with red eyes gleaming

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like coals. It was smiling again. It let him

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crawl away a few feet before stepping closer.

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Its voice came soft. mocking like a lullaby.

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Almost. Then, in a blur, it was on him. Rolando

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kicked, clawed, struck with his fists, but the

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creature pinned him easily, its strength inhuman,

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absolute. The Apchanchu leaned close, the stench

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of rot and blood thick in its breath, and whispered,

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You should have kept driving. Then the bite,

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a deep tearing, and Rolando's world went dark.

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The last thing he saw was the creature's face,

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shifting. The old man's features returned as

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if nothing had changed. It licked the blood from

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its lips and smiled down at him. Fool, it said

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softly, as Rolando's body went still. Hours later,

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The mountain road lay quiet again. The truck

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had gone missing from outside the cave, leaving

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an empty mountaintop. And inside the cave, nothing

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stirred. Sometimes travelers say when the wind

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cuts just right through those peaks, you can

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hear a voice carried down from the heights. A

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slow, broken voice, calling out for help. My

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home, up at the mountain. And if you stop to

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listen, or even if you stop to help, you'll see

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an old man standing by the road, hat pulled low

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against the wind. And when he looks up, you'll

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see that his mouth is stained red. Welcome back,

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old friends. Thank you so much for listening

00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:46.090
to that story. And a big thank you to Jeffrey

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for helping me write this one. Once again, we're

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going to go ahead and jump into some Apchanchu

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myths. So the first one, this is from a urban

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legends mystery and myth .com. This is an entry

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simply called the Apchanchu, Bolivia's ancient

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Andean vampire legend. So again, as it says here,

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this story comes to us from Bolivia. And this

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says the night in the Andes is colder than you

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expect. Mist curls along the lonely mountain

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road, and your lantern's flame struggles against

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the darkness. Ahead, you notice a figure hunched

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on the ground, a frail old man wrapped in tattered

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clothes. He groans as if in pain, one arm stretched.

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toward you. Instinct tells you to help. But in

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Bolivian legend, this is exactly what Apchanchu

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wants. Because the moment you lean down to offer

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a hand, the old man's eyes glow red, his teeth

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sharpen, and you realize too late that pity has

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led you straight into the arms of a vampire.

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So obviously, this is a vampire story or a version

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of a vampire story, right? Because as we know,

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there are so many and we're going to go through

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a few of them later that they talk about here.

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But the first ones that were the first creatures

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that came to mind, or the first susto episodes

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that came to mind, of course, were the Pistaco,

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which I know is something similar, the Vampires

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of Pisco, Peru, of course, and the Tio. I think

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the Tio is this entity that the miners in Bolivia

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pray to in tandem with their Catholic beliefs.

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So just some interesting things to think about,

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and I will put those in the description notes

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below so that you all can check those out if

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you want to. Oh, and of course, I almost forgot

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the Tlalpuchi, which... is one of my favorite

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life stories to tell. So I don't know how I almost

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forgot that. But those four, they will be in

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the description notes. You can, if you haven't

00:16:30.330 --> 00:16:31.789
heard them, you can go back and listen to them.

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Or if you feel like doing a susto vampire tour,

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then you can listen to those groups of episodes

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after this one. So this continues. Who or what

00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:43.909
is Abachanchu? The Abachanchu is a vampire -like

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figure from Bolivian folklore. Unlike the suave,

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seductive vampires of European legend, Abachanchu

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does not lure victims with charm or beauty. Instead,

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it preys on compassion. So again, this idea of

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seeing this elderly person on the side of the

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road. And I will say, I didn't see anything about

00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:04.799
the typical assigned genders to this creature.

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I've seen like elderly man when we looked up

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pictures and stuff. A lot of the depictions were

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like this, this really small older man. I didn't

00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:15.920
see anything about the Apachanchu being only

00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.440
one gender. So who knows? Again, this is one

00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:21.279
of the things that could be prescribed to any

00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:23.859
sort of rep. But for the sake of this episode,

00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:26.200
we will probably be referring to Apachanshu as

00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.900
he. And so this continues, often described as

00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:31.279
a frail elderly traveler. Again, they're not

00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:33.420
using a specific gender here. The Apachanshu

00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:36.200
disguises itself as helpless to trick passersby

00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:38.460
into approaching. When its victims lean close,

00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:40.920
the vampire strikes, draining blood until the

00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:43.619
traveler is left lifeless on the road. It is

00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:46.200
feared not only as a monster, but also as a warning

00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:49.099
that evil often wears the mask of weakness and

00:17:49.099 --> 00:17:51.650
kindness can be twisted into a fear. fatal mistake,

00:17:51.910 --> 00:17:54.369
which it's so interesting because I feel like

00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:56.970
I try to help people when I see people in need,

00:17:57.029 --> 00:17:59.690
right? I will say I've never picked up a hitchhiker.

00:17:59.710 --> 00:18:01.630
I don't think I've ever really seen a hitchhiker.

00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:03.910
But I think maybe because of stories like this,

00:18:03.950 --> 00:18:05.990
you know, we see other like horror movies or

00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:09.219
thrillers or we hear the stories where We're

00:18:09.219 --> 00:18:11.359
basically told not to do that. So, you know,

00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:13.559
even if you consider yourself an empathetic person

00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:15.500
or somebody who wants to help people in need,

00:18:15.660 --> 00:18:17.819
there's still that fear in the back of your mind.

00:18:17.900 --> 00:18:20.460
You know, I lied. I did give this man a ride

00:18:20.460 --> 00:18:24.859
one time in my hometown from the Walmart to I

00:18:24.859 --> 00:18:27.059
forgot where, like somewhere in the town. And

00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:28.960
I remember telling him because I agreed to give

00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.599
him a ride and we're walking to my car. And then

00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:32.359
I stopped and I looked at him dead in the eye

00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:35.690
and I said, do you have a knife? Or I was like,

00:18:35.750 --> 00:18:37.230
you don't have a weapon or something, do you?

00:18:37.309 --> 00:18:38.329
I was like, because I don't feel like fighting

00:18:38.329 --> 00:18:40.269
today. And he was like, no, no, no, no, man.

00:18:40.369 --> 00:18:42.369
I swear to God, I just need a ride. And I was

00:18:42.369 --> 00:18:43.970
like, all right, get in the car. But also, for

00:18:43.970 --> 00:18:45.829
all he knows, I could have been the weirdo who

00:18:45.829 --> 00:18:47.809
was going to hurt him. So, you know, sometimes

00:18:47.809 --> 00:18:49.809
you just got to trust in people that I think

00:18:49.809 --> 00:18:51.730
that is the only time that I've given a stranger

00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:54.490
a ride like that. And it worked out. So, OK,

00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:57.869
he was not a not an upchanchu. I was safe. But

00:18:57.869 --> 00:19:00.470
this continues the origin of the story and its

00:19:00.470 --> 00:19:03.009
variations. The upchanchu is deeply rooted in

00:19:03.009 --> 00:19:05.809
the Andean oral tradition. of Bolivia, though

00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:08.430
variations of the story appear across South America.

00:19:08.690 --> 00:19:11.130
So this talks about it's kind of two different

00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:13.329
routes. So there's the Andean roots. Some folklorists

00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:16.289
suggest that the Apchanchu may have pre -Columbian

00:19:16.289 --> 00:19:18.849
origins tied to earlier myths of demons or hungry

00:19:18.849 --> 00:19:21.369
spirits that lurked along the trade roads through

00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:22.809
the mountains. And we're going to talk about

00:19:22.809 --> 00:19:25.009
that idea a little bit later here. But then there's

00:19:25.009 --> 00:19:27.609
also, of course, as always, good old colonial

00:19:27.609 --> 00:19:29.890
Spanish influence. And this says when European

00:19:29.890 --> 00:19:32.650
vampire tales spread through South America, they

00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:35.400
blended with indigenous lore, shaping the Apachanchu

00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:38.500
into a more familiar blood drinking figure. So

00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:41.920
it seems like this kind of vampiric aspect to

00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.799
the Apachanchu due to Spanish influence. And

00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.720
that's not what like the OG story is. But this

00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:50.519
also says that while most stories focus on the

00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:53.460
frail old man disguise, some variations claim

00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.359
the Apachanchu can take animal forms or vanish

00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.980
into the mist after an attack. And again, we're

00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:00.200
going to bring that up a little bit later. I'm

00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:02.420
just planting all the Apachanchu seeds right

00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:04.920
now. This says the legend endured because of

00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.000
the dangers of travel through Bolivia's remote

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.920
mountain passes. Bandits, illness, and exposure

00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.940
often claim lives, and stories of a vampire lying

00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:15.599
in wait offered a supernatural explanation for

00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.700
why some never came home. So again, there's this

00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:21.000
idea that I think we've seen before where people,

00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:24.440
and again, I mentioned the tlawalpuchi earlier,

00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:28.700
that people use sometimes these creatures or

00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:33.220
these stories to explain their, or process their

00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:36.359
own grief or their own trauma. So with the tlawalpuchi,

00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:39.039
it was the infanticide that happened overnight

00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:41.440
in that community. And with this, you know, it

00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:43.680
seems like people are, for whatever reason, they're

00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:47.619
traversing these mountainsides. or this mountainous

00:20:47.619 --> 00:20:50.920
region. And then their loved ones pass away when

00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:52.759
they're doing that, when they're traveling. And

00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:56.559
so they were taken by the Apachanchu or the Apachanchu

00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.980
got a hold of them, right? And this page continues.

00:20:59.099 --> 00:21:01.119
It talks about modern sightings or encounters.

00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.220
And that's kind of a continuation of that topic.

00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:05.240
It says, while the Apachanchu is firmly rooted

00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:07.759
in folklore, occasional encounters are still

00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:10.380
whispered. Travelers found pale and collapsed

00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:12.779
on lonely roads are sometimes attributed to the

00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:15.640
Apachanchu, especially if no illness or robbery.

00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.460
explains death. Some modern stories speak of

00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:21.140
roadside beggars in Bolivia who seem to appear

00:21:21.140 --> 00:21:24.500
and disappear strangely, vanishing into mist

00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:27.539
when ignored. And researches of vampire folklore

00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:30.680
point to Apchanchu as proof that the idea of

00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.480
blood -drinking predators exists across cultures,

00:21:33.579 --> 00:21:35.980
not just in Europe. Because, of course, I think

00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:39.299
many of the depictions or the stories of vampires

00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:41.900
come from European influence, but it would make

00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:44.740
sense then that Spanish influence on this story,

00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:46.450
right? So this is what I was really interested

00:21:46.450 --> 00:21:48.609
in on this page. They talk about similar vampires

00:21:48.609 --> 00:21:51.250
and blood -drinking creatures around the world.

00:21:51.289 --> 00:21:53.130
And there's a list of them here. This one, I'm

00:21:53.130 --> 00:21:54.569
going to go through these. And this first one

00:21:54.569 --> 00:21:57.930
is the Strigoi from Romania. That sounds like

00:21:57.930 --> 00:22:00.170
I said that right, right? I don't know. Strigoi.

00:22:00.349 --> 00:22:02.349
Strigoi. I feel like I've heard that kind of

00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.309
accent, that Romanian. I mean, of course, with

00:22:04.309 --> 00:22:06.650
like many vampire movies, right? But this says,

00:22:06.769 --> 00:22:08.809
these restless spirits are said to rise from

00:22:08.809 --> 00:22:11.430
the grave to torment their families, spreading

00:22:11.430 --> 00:22:14.329
diseases and drinking blood. Unlike the elegant...

00:22:14.349 --> 00:22:17.730
vampires of fiction, strigoi, are grotesque revenants,

00:22:17.789 --> 00:22:19.950
corpse -like and hungry. They are considered

00:22:19.950 --> 00:22:22.470
to the direct ancestors of Bram Stoker's Dracula

00:22:22.470 --> 00:22:25.769
and are feared in rural Romania, where villagers

00:22:25.769 --> 00:22:28.650
sometimes exhume suspected corpses to prevent

00:22:28.650 --> 00:22:31.289
a strigoi outbreak. So there's an actual influence

00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:34.529
on communities to stop these things from coming

00:22:34.529 --> 00:22:36.509
out because of their belief in them. This next

00:22:36.509 --> 00:22:39.650
one is the Pontianak, which is from Malaysia

00:22:39.650 --> 00:22:42.549
slash Indonesia, and it says, a terrifying ghost

00:22:42.549 --> 00:22:45.079
of a woman who died in childbirth, which reminds

00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:47.980
me of the, I think it was the Tsitsimime, which

00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:49.799
is the story of people who passed away during

00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:52.680
childbirth, that their souls became these kind

00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:55.859
of like warrior -like deities in the sky. They

00:22:55.859 --> 00:22:57.819
were the stars. I think that's the one. Correct

00:22:57.819 --> 00:23:00.640
me if I'm wrong. And this continues. At first,

00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:03.000
she appears as a stunningly beautiful woman,

00:23:03.059 --> 00:23:05.599
drawing in men with her long black hair and pale

00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:08.720
skin. But once lured close, she reveals a ghastly

00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:11.680
corpse -like face and long nails that tear flesh.

00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:22.539
The Pontiac Ooh, super cool. This continues the

00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:25.819
Asambosam, which is from West Africa and the

00:23:25.819 --> 00:23:43.740
Ashanti people. the Apchuncha's ambush on lonely

00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:46.519
roads, attacking when victims least expect it.

00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:48.519
That is terrifying. Imagine just walking through

00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:51.460
a forest, jungle, whatever it is, and this thing

00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:53.920
just comes down and snatches you to eat you.

00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:56.019
This continues, and these are some ideas that

00:23:56.019 --> 00:23:58.359
I might circle back to for future episodes, but

00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:01.440
this is from Colombia, and this is La Patasola.

00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:04.180
It says, another South American vampire legend.

00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:07.839
La Patasola begins as a vision of beauty, often

00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:10.420
appearing to lone men in the jungle. Once she

00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:13.109
has her victim, attention, she transforms into

00:24:13.109 --> 00:24:16.089
a hideous one -legged monster with sharp fangs.

00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:18.549
She then drinks the victim's blood, sometimes

00:24:18.549 --> 00:24:21.269
consuming their flesh. Her legend, like Ap Chan

00:24:21.269 --> 00:24:24.250
Chu's, is a warning about deception and misplaced

00:24:24.250 --> 00:24:26.829
trust. Also, I'm going to say this now. If at

00:24:26.829 --> 00:24:29.549
any point I have said Ap Chun Cha instead of

00:24:29.549 --> 00:24:32.349
Ap Chan Chu, please pretend that I did not. Because

00:24:32.349 --> 00:24:34.390
I feel like I maybe just said it wrong right

00:24:34.390 --> 00:24:36.730
now. And I swear to God, I cannot go back and

00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:40.529
record everything. I don't have the time. I'm

00:24:40.529 --> 00:24:41.910
just going to say that now. If you heard it,

00:24:41.930 --> 00:24:44.369
no, you didn't. The next one here is the Saucoyant

00:24:44.369 --> 00:24:47.630
from Trinidad, Guayana, and Venezuela. It says

00:24:47.630 --> 00:24:50.150
a witch -like vampire who lives as an old woman

00:24:50.150 --> 00:24:52.950
by day, but at night sheds her skin and transforms

00:24:52.950 --> 00:24:56.730
into a fiery ball of light. In this form, she

00:24:56.730 --> 00:24:59.230
slips through cracks and keyholes to suck the

00:24:59.230 --> 00:25:01.369
blood of sleeping victims. If she drinks too

00:25:01.369 --> 00:25:03.809
much, the victim dies. To defeat her, folklore

00:25:03.809 --> 00:25:06.829
says you must find her discarded skin and destroy

00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:09.839
it with salt or fire, trapping her in her fiery

00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:13.460
form forever. This one sounds really cool. I

00:25:13.460 --> 00:25:15.019
would love to do a story on this one. This has

00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:17.160
so many elements from other things, right? So

00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.240
there's this witch, first of all, a witch who

00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.359
can transform into anything, right? You think

00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:24.119
of Tlalpuchi, Lechuza, just general witches that

00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:26.519
can transform into, like I said here, a ball

00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:28.660
of fire or a ball of light. And then you have,

00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:30.920
again, those general, in Mexico, they say witches

00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:34.059
can turn into balls of fire. The Tlalpuchi can

00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:36.920
turn into mist or a ball of light and travel

00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:39.640
that way. But this, I... really, really like

00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:41.559
this detail. I think it's so interesting that

00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:45.119
to defeat her, you need to find the skin that

00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:48.059
she shed when she transformed and destroy the

00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:50.279
skin so that she cannot return to the human form.

00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:52.400
And I'm assuming that it's not sustainable for

00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.039
her to survive as this ball of light, right?

00:25:55.099 --> 00:25:57.140
This fiery ball of light. So it's very, very

00:25:57.140 --> 00:25:59.200
interesting there. The second to last one here

00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:02.160
is the Chonchon from Chile and Argentina. It

00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:04.319
says one of the strangest vampire figures of

00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:07.579
South America. The Chonchon is said to be a sorcerer

00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:26.099
who trans... So very much like hearing the cries

00:26:26.099 --> 00:26:29.519
of Alachusa, of La Llorona, hearing the whistle

00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:33.160
of El Silbon again, with this idea of sound and

00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:35.980
these monsters or these creatures or spirits

00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:38.369
that if you hear them... It's a bad omen. Just

00:26:38.369 --> 00:26:41.289
hearing it is bad luck enough. And the last one

00:26:41.289 --> 00:26:44.569
here is the Pistaco from Peru and Bolivia. It

00:26:44.569 --> 00:26:46.809
says, though not a vampire in the traditional

00:26:46.809 --> 00:26:49.430
sense, the Pistaco is a frightening Andean legend

00:26:49.430 --> 00:26:52.369
about a creature, or sometimes a man, that drains

00:26:52.369 --> 00:26:54.910
both fat and blood from its victims. Again, like

00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.150
I mentioned earlier, the Pistaco, rooted in colonial

00:26:57.150 --> 00:26:59.829
fears and exploitation by Spaniards, the Pistaco

00:26:59.829 --> 00:27:02.269
endures as a cultural warning about outsiders

00:27:02.269 --> 00:27:04.589
preying on local communities. It's linked to

00:27:04.589 --> 00:27:06.890
blood drinking and its Bolivian setting. make

00:27:06.890 --> 00:27:10.109
it a close cousin to the Abchanchu. So again,

00:27:10.190 --> 00:27:14.210
thank you, urbanlegendsmysteryandmyth .com for

00:27:14.210 --> 00:27:17.230
the entry on the Abchanchu and this amazing comprehensive

00:27:17.230 --> 00:27:19.450
list of all these other similar creatures from

00:27:19.450 --> 00:27:21.410
around the world. Okay, the next entry that we

00:27:21.410 --> 00:27:24.710
have here is a quick Wikipedia entry. This is

00:27:24.710 --> 00:27:26.410
really, really short. It's literally one sentence.

00:27:26.509 --> 00:27:28.829
It says, Abchanchu is a legendary Bolivian vampire

00:27:28.829 --> 00:27:31.549
who shapeshifts into the form of a helpless elderly

00:27:31.549 --> 00:27:34.650
traveler. When a pastor by offers to help him,

00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:37.259
Abchanchu... victimizes them and drinks their

00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:40.279
blood. The victim dies of blood loss or disease.

00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:44.059
Very simple. That is the elevator pitch, the

00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:46.880
tell us a little bit about yourself for the Apachanchu.

00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:51.000
The one after that is a, this is a academic link.

00:27:51.140 --> 00:27:53.539
This is from a book and this one's also very,

00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:57.240
very short. This is from Gale eBooks, I believe.

00:27:57.500 --> 00:28:00.440
And this is from a book titled The Encyclopedia

00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:04.019
of Vampires and Werewolves, second edition by

00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:08.319
a Rose. Mary Ellen Gilly, I believe. And it's

00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.799
on the first page. It starts with literally it's

00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:12.559
like an encyclopedia entry. It's a really quick

00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:15.359
entry. And similar to the Wikipedia entry, this

00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:18.759
says Obchanchu, Bolivian vampire. The Obchanchu

00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:21.240
pretends to be a kindly old man who loses his

00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:24.259
way. His well -meaning, helpful victims are either

00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:26.859
stricken with a fatal disease or are stuck to

00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:29.180
dry of their blood while they are asleep. And

00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:32.059
I wasn't able to find any other mention of the

00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:35.319
Obchanchu from what was available. online about

00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:37.900
this text. So I think it was literally just it

00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:39.579
was listing through these are all the different

00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:42.359
kinds of vampires and werewolves around the world,

00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:44.579
which I should find this book because I would

00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:46.779
love to go through that. The next one is from

00:28:46.779 --> 00:28:50.880
cryptidindex .com. It's titled Abchanchu, the

00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:54.200
vampire of Bolivian folklore. And it says among

00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:56.680
the myriad of cryptids and legends scattered

00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:59.339
across the globe, the Abchanchu stands out as

00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:01.839
a sinister figure from Bolivian folklore, often

00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:21.789
described as a shape -shifting And this one,

00:29:21.829 --> 00:29:24.569
it breaks down all of the abchanchu again. So

00:29:24.569 --> 00:29:26.309
there may be some repeats here, but as always,

00:29:26.369 --> 00:29:27.950
we want to get as many different perspectives,

00:29:28.049 --> 00:29:30.309
right? So this one talks about its physical description,

00:29:30.450 --> 00:29:34.569
and it says, rarely, if ever, described in concrete

00:29:34.569 --> 00:29:36.470
detail. And we've already been seeing that through

00:29:36.470 --> 00:29:38.410
these resources that we're going to. It says,

00:29:38.569 --> 00:29:41.369
legends suggest that it has the ability to shapeshift,

00:29:41.430 --> 00:29:43.950
often appearing as an old and frail individual

00:29:43.950 --> 00:29:46.650
to deceive its victims. This disguise is effective

00:29:46.650 --> 00:29:49.750
in eliciting sympathy as travelers feel compelled

00:29:49.750 --> 00:29:52.390
to aid the seemingly helpless figure. However,

00:29:52.549 --> 00:29:54.750
once its prey is close enough, the Apachanchu

00:29:54.750 --> 00:29:57.509
reveals its predatory nature, striking with precision

00:29:57.509 --> 00:30:01.130
and leaving no chance for escape. So again, it's

00:30:01.130 --> 00:30:04.460
praying. on and counting on that sympathy and

00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:07.319
that kindness from its victims, which I think

00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:10.460
compared to other creatures and cryptids and

00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:12.519
what have you that have been featured on Susto

00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:15.400
is an interesting take because most of them is

00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:17.579
they rely on like trickery, which I mean, this

00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:20.299
is trickery, right? It's decepting people and

00:30:20.299 --> 00:30:22.519
using their kindness against them. But it's like

00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:24.180
tricking people in other ways, like with the

00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:26.799
sound thing, right? Usually like with El Silbon's

00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:30.660
whistle, La Llorona's cries, some, I think La

00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:32.720
Silbon. Naba with the backward facing feet, things

00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:34.920
are opposite of what they seem. So if you hear

00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:36.960
something farther away, that means it's closer.

00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:38.980
And if you hear it closer, that means it's farther

00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:40.880
away. And with the footprints, if you see them.

00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:43.339
because the footprints are backwards. If you

00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:45.619
see them walking away, then it's actually walking

00:30:45.619 --> 00:30:47.819
towards you and vice versa. So, or just straight

00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:50.500
up hunting, right? Versus this, the Apchanchu

00:30:50.500 --> 00:30:53.700
doesn't really, it's hunting is very chill. I

00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:56.019
don't know how to say that in a more elegant

00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:59.099
way, but it just kind of, it just sits and waits,

00:30:59.220 --> 00:31:01.359
you know, and it lets its victims do the work.

00:31:01.559 --> 00:31:03.859
This continues on this site. It says origins

00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:06.900
and legends. The origins of the Apchanchu are

00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:09.380
deeply rooted in Bolivian folklore, particularly

00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:12.019
in the Andean. regions where the harsh landscapes

00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:14.980
and isolated roads create an ideal setting for

00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:18.220
tales of terror. Stories of the Apchanchu were

00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:20.740
likely passed down orally, serving as warnings

00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:23.720
to travelers to remain cautious and wary of strangers.

00:31:24.140 --> 00:31:26.539
Some interpretations suggest that the Apchanchu

00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:28.779
represents more than just a mythical predator.

00:31:29.059 --> 00:31:31.599
It is thought to symbolize the dangers of isolation

00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:34.200
and the vulnerability of individuals in remote

00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:36.819
areas. Others argue that it serves as a metaphor

00:31:36.819 --> 00:31:39.140
for treachery, a reminder that not everything

00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:41.769
is as it seems. seems, and danger often hides

00:31:41.769 --> 00:31:44.329
behind a facade of innocence. I'm going to skip

00:31:44.329 --> 00:31:48.599
down this page to a that says scientific explanations

00:31:48.599 --> 00:31:51.779
and theories. And this says skeptics often seek

00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:54.799
to rationalize tales of the Apachanchu by attributing

00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:57.519
them to psychological and cultural factors. The

00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:59.680
cryptid's guise as an old and frail individual

00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:02.380
may reflect a deeply ingrained fear of vulnerability

00:32:02.380 --> 00:32:05.000
and deception. Again, we keep getting this idea

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:07.359
over and over again. Others suggest that sightings

00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:09.900
of the Apachanchu could be explained by encounters

00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:12.200
with individuals suffering from severe illnesses

00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:14.859
or conditions that give them a ghastly appearance.

00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:17.799
Thus fuel, this legend. This continues, another

00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:20.519
theory posits that the Abchanchu legend served

00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:23.259
as a practical warning to travelers. By instilling

00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:25.980
fear of strangers and the unknown, the story

00:32:25.980 --> 00:32:28.720
may have discouraged risky behaviors and encouraged

00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:30.960
vigilance, which would have been crucial for

00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:32.980
survival in remote and perilous environments.

00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:36.000
I think also it could serve, yes to travelers,

00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:39.619
but to specifically travelers who are from that

00:32:39.619 --> 00:32:42.500
area. They brought up the Pistaco earlier, and

00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:45.460
we know that there is Spanish influence on the

00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:48.079
origins of this story itself. And so it's that

00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:51.400
kind of warning of outsiders or strangers, not

00:32:51.400 --> 00:32:53.539
only just people you may not know from your own

00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:56.039
community, but strangers to the community. And

00:32:56.039 --> 00:32:59.000
more specifically, in this instance, colonizers,

00:32:59.079 --> 00:33:00.920
right? Okay, and heavily incurred, this isn't

00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:03.519
necessarily a source, we could have used it as

00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:07.339
one, but this is a comic, it's called the Anchanchu.

00:33:07.460 --> 00:33:08.779
And we're going to talk about that pronunciation

00:33:08.779 --> 00:33:13.059
next. But this is from, I believe, their artist,

00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:15.269
I'm not sure, you know, like authors have pen

00:33:15.269 --> 00:33:17.829
names. Is it the same thing for an artist? So

00:33:17.829 --> 00:33:20.970
either way, this is a comic, and it's a comic

00:33:20.970 --> 00:33:25.289
titled El Anchancho. And I think the quote artist

00:33:25.289 --> 00:33:29.650
name is Minjosh, but I think their actual name,

00:33:29.750 --> 00:33:31.690
it's here at the bottom, and it was attributed

00:33:31.690 --> 00:33:35.109
to them. And another page that I found this art

00:33:35.109 --> 00:33:38.849
on is Armin Castellon, which Armin, we have similar

00:33:38.849 --> 00:33:41.829
last names, Castellon, Castellanos. What is up,

00:33:41.829 --> 00:33:43.589
primo? But if you're interested in looking...

00:33:43.630 --> 00:33:46.609
this up. This is it seems like it's maybe a comic

00:33:46.609 --> 00:33:53.009
site. It says In English, 24 in 24 or 24 en 24.

00:33:53.509 --> 00:33:58.089
So 24 en 24 .blogspot .com. And if you just search

00:33:58.089 --> 00:34:01.450
that with Anchanchu, then you should be able

00:34:01.450 --> 00:34:03.650
to find this. But yeah, it's a fun comic if you

00:34:03.650 --> 00:34:05.410
want to read through that. And I really like

00:34:05.410 --> 00:34:07.009
the art style and the way that they depicted

00:34:07.009 --> 00:34:11.050
the Abchanchu or Anchanchu as we will delve into

00:34:11.050 --> 00:34:13.590
a bit deeper here about those different pronunciations.

00:34:26.990 --> 00:34:29.110
Jeff left a note for us here and it says pre

00:34:29.110 --> 00:34:32.989
-colonial Anchanchu. These cave demon myths eventually

00:34:32.989 --> 00:34:36.010
merged with European vampire myths to become

00:34:36.010 --> 00:34:39.309
the modern day Abchanchu. First, we want to get

00:34:39.309 --> 00:34:41.780
an understanding of where specifically this is

00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:44.579
coming from. This is a website called Aymara

00:34:44.579 --> 00:34:47.760
.org. And this was written by Jorge Pedraza Arpasi.

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.079
Not only will the direct links for all of these

00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:52.280
be in the Seuss to Google Docs on Patreon, but

00:34:52.280 --> 00:34:54.760
Jorge has specifically asked that we link to

00:34:54.760 --> 00:34:57.380
Aymara .org. So you will find a link to this

00:34:57.380 --> 00:34:59.539
page in the description notes. Jorge gave us

00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:02.659
a really, really neat insight into the Aymara

00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:05.639
people. And just to kind of tell you all a bit

00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:07.760
about them, so we know a bit more about their

00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:10.099
perspective. This says Aymara is a language which

00:35:10.099 --> 00:35:13.260
spoken by approximately 1 .6 million persons

00:35:13.260 --> 00:35:16.460
around the Titicaca Lake. More precisely, according

00:35:16.460 --> 00:35:19.159
to the last census of both Bolivia and Chile,

00:35:19.300 --> 00:35:23.699
both in 1992 and Peru in 1993, there are approximately

00:35:23.699 --> 00:35:27.739
1 .2 million Bolivian Aymara speakers, roughly

00:35:27.739 --> 00:35:31.980
290 ,000 Peruvian speakers, and roughly 48 ,000

00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:34.460
Chilean ones. All these speakers conform the

00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:37.780
Aymara people. In the province of Tupe, Yaoyos,

00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:40.269
at 300 kilometers south, East of Lima City are

00:35:40.269 --> 00:35:44.110
the last 600 speakers of Hakaru, which, in accordance

00:35:44.110 --> 00:35:46.550
to the M .J. Hardman, is a familiar but separate

00:35:46.550 --> 00:35:48.929
language from Aymara. However, in accordance

00:35:48.929 --> 00:35:51.849
to other language classification catalogs, Hakaru

00:35:51.849 --> 00:35:54.489
is only a dialectical variation from Aymara.

00:35:54.670 --> 00:35:56.889
The existence of Hakaru is an indicator that

00:35:56.889 --> 00:35:59.730
in ancient times, Aymara language spread in wide

00:35:59.730 --> 00:36:02.630
areas of the present Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and

00:36:02.630 --> 00:36:05.469
Argentina, far away from the Titicaca Plateau.

00:36:05.550 --> 00:36:08.130
Examples of these areas are inside the present

00:36:08.429 --> 00:36:12.789
Peru at Arequipa provinces, at Apurima provinces,

00:36:13.289 --> 00:36:16.309
at Cusco provinces, at Puno Northeast provinces,

00:36:16.650 --> 00:36:20.369
and inside present Bolivia at Potosi, Cochamba,

00:36:20.469 --> 00:36:23.030
and Oruro. So that's more so about their language.

00:36:23.190 --> 00:36:26.010
About the people themselves, this says that ethnically

00:36:26.010 --> 00:36:28.230
the Aymara people are from the same group who

00:36:28.230 --> 00:36:31.230
populated all the America since 1200 BC and who

00:36:31.230 --> 00:36:33.750
are mostly known as quote Indians. There are

00:36:33.750 --> 00:36:36.190
strong and deep ties between the Titicaca Lake

00:36:36.190 --> 00:36:39.210
and the Aymara people. Such ties begin with the

00:36:39.210 --> 00:36:42.329
name Titicaca, which comes from two Aymara words,

00:36:42.570 --> 00:36:46.309
which are titi, and here they say it's cat, and

00:36:46.309 --> 00:36:50.289
caca with Qs, which is gray color. That is, Titicaca

00:36:50.289 --> 00:36:53.550
means the gray cat. The Titicaca Plateau is over

00:36:53.550 --> 00:36:56.110
12 ,000 feet above the sea level. Therefore,

00:36:56.329 --> 00:36:58.469
it should have a non -living climate, but the

00:36:58.469 --> 00:37:01.070
waters of the lake warm all the region, allowing

00:37:01.070 --> 00:37:04.210
to live millions of persons. Pedro Cieza de Leon

00:37:04.210 --> 00:37:06.849
tells us that this plateau was the most populated

00:37:06.849 --> 00:37:09.920
territory of the entire Inca Empire. Now we have

00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:12.559
some really good background of who these people

00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:15.199
were, right? In this same site, they talk about

00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:19.139
the Anchucha in this segment about ancient religiosity

00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:22.480
or pre -Christian religion in this area. So up

00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:25.519
to the year 1550. Before that though, it says

00:37:25.519 --> 00:37:28.139
the distinct Aymara towns of the antiquity have

00:37:28.139 --> 00:37:30.820
had different local gods and thus various forms

00:37:30.820 --> 00:37:33.139
of religiosity. However, these local varieties

00:37:33.139 --> 00:37:36.000
were based on the two pillars of the Pan -Andean

00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:39.019
religiosity as are the agricultural religiosity

00:37:39.019 --> 00:37:42.019
and the worship of the ancestors. So we see this

00:37:42.019 --> 00:37:45.659
in so many cultures is the two strongest or the

00:37:45.659 --> 00:37:49.239
two main pillars of worship, religiosity, devotion,

00:37:49.500 --> 00:37:52.119
however you want to identify that is usually

00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:56.099
always agricultural or earth based and ancestors

00:37:56.099 --> 00:37:58.739
are those that came before us who are dead. This

00:37:58.739 --> 00:38:01.699
continues the ancient Aymara god Thunupa, who

00:38:01.699 --> 00:38:03.940
is the central icon of the stone sculpture of

00:38:03.940 --> 00:38:06.840
the gateway of the sun in Tiwanaku. personifies

00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:09.400
various agents of the nature of the sun, wind,

00:38:09.599 --> 00:38:12.440
rain, hail, that can influence, for well or for

00:38:12.440 --> 00:38:14.880
worse, the agricultural production. So again,

00:38:14.980 --> 00:38:17.960
this entity that can influence crops, harvest,

00:38:18.219 --> 00:38:20.739
life, right? Another aspect of this agricultural

00:38:20.739 --> 00:38:24.360
religion is the goddess Bachamama, or the mother

00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:27.280
ground, the producer of the foods. This goddess

00:38:27.280 --> 00:38:29.639
slash mother requires sacrifices, her favorite

00:38:29.639 --> 00:38:32.460
being the fetus of a llama. So I think that's

00:38:32.460 --> 00:38:34.880
where we got that kind of little detail of the

00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:36.869
ghost llama. at the beginning of this episode,

00:38:36.969 --> 00:38:38.869
which I think would make a cute little sticker,

00:38:39.070 --> 00:38:41.130
a llama that's a ghost. I don't know why in my

00:38:41.130 --> 00:38:43.190
head that's adorable. This continues, on the

00:38:43.190 --> 00:38:46.150
other hand, the worship of the ancestors was

00:38:46.150 --> 00:38:48.449
manifested in a material way in the construction

00:38:48.449 --> 00:38:51.210
of tomb shrines, whose complexity was in agreement

00:38:51.210 --> 00:38:53.710
of the importance of the deceased. Okay, now

00:38:53.710 --> 00:38:55.829
we're going to talk about a bit the Unchanchu.

00:38:55.949 --> 00:38:57.829
And I swear to God, I know that I said it wrong

00:38:57.829 --> 00:38:59.809
again earlier, but you didn't hear that, right?

00:39:00.030 --> 00:39:02.769
Exactly. So this says, the local gods are the

00:39:02.769 --> 00:39:04.849
hills and the mountains regarded as guardians.

00:39:04.909 --> 00:39:07.909
and protectors. This form of spirituality continues

00:39:07.909 --> 00:39:10.949
in force until nowadays or modern day in which

00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:14.130
each local hill has a name and is always invoked

00:39:14.130 --> 00:39:16.809
like the local guardian. The devils were believed

00:39:16.809 --> 00:39:19.630
to be from the underground and were known by

00:39:19.630 --> 00:39:23.650
either Anchanchu or Saksra. Other small gods

00:39:23.650 --> 00:39:26.510
reside in the water fountain. Another important

00:39:26.510 --> 00:39:29.070
aspect related to the Aymada spirituality is

00:39:29.070 --> 00:39:31.050
the ritual and natural medicine whose practices

00:39:31.050 --> 00:39:34.360
is carried out by the Yatiri or the wise. The

00:39:34.360 --> 00:39:36.659
Yatiris with the greater prestige and efficacy

00:39:36.659 --> 00:39:39.460
since ancient times until the present century

00:39:39.460 --> 00:39:43.360
are from the town Kalawaya in the mountain range

00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:46.699
of Charasani in Bolivia. Again, this is saying

00:39:46.699 --> 00:39:49.440
the brief mention here about the Anchanchu is

00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:51.800
that they were just known as, quote, the devils

00:39:51.800 --> 00:39:54.440
or these underground ne 'er -do -well spirits.

00:39:54.679 --> 00:39:56.699
They're on that side of the spectrum of like

00:39:56.699 --> 00:39:59.599
good or bad of spirits. And so they have their

00:39:59.599 --> 00:40:01.719
good spirits, which are in the hills and the

00:40:01.719 --> 00:40:04.059
mountains and their guardians. The opposite of

00:40:04.059 --> 00:40:07.519
that is the Anchanchu. I'm not exactly sure when

00:40:07.519 --> 00:40:11.320
or how that shift in the spelling or the pronunciation

00:40:11.320 --> 00:40:15.679
of the Abchanchu or the Anchanchu to the Abchanchu

00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:17.940
happened, but it did. The next one that we have

00:40:17.940 --> 00:40:24.039
here is from a Bolivia .com under their technology

00:40:24.039 --> 00:40:28.380
and astronomy kind of. section of the site. And

00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:31.780
this is titled Anchanchu, the quote, demon most

00:40:31.780 --> 00:40:34.719
feared by the Aymara people. And this says evil

00:40:34.719 --> 00:40:38.139
in Aymara culture has a name, quote, Anchanchu,

00:40:38.340 --> 00:40:41.019
a malevolent entity that preys on lonely people

00:40:41.019 --> 00:40:44.139
and has an insatiable thirst for life. So we

00:40:44.139 --> 00:40:45.699
kind of know we're getting this confirmation

00:40:45.699 --> 00:40:47.920
that those are one the same. This says, quote,

00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:50.059
in the countryside, it is believed that people

00:40:50.059 --> 00:40:52.800
have up to 10 souls. Others say that women have

00:40:52.800 --> 00:40:55.820
seven and men three. With so many, they are vulnerable.

00:40:55.880 --> 00:40:58.559
to being stolen until the last one is reached

00:40:58.559 --> 00:41:01.820
and then there is death, explained anthropologist

00:41:01.820 --> 00:41:04.860
Milton Izaguirre. This continues, knowledge of

00:41:04.860 --> 00:41:07.360
this evil entity has been passed down orally

00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:09.840
in the Aymara regions and is one of the most

00:41:09.840 --> 00:41:12.300
feared because it leads its victims to death.

00:41:12.519 --> 00:41:15.139
Beliefs say that this quote paranormal presence

00:41:15.139 --> 00:41:17.920
appears to its victims personified as animals

00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:20.420
or terrifying beasts in order to frighten them.

00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:22.639
The wise men say you should pretend you're not

00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:25.000
alone. Quote, you have to pretend you're with

00:41:25.099 --> 00:41:27.599
someone because they use any trick to deceive

00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:29.980
you and drain your energy. You shouldn't be afraid

00:41:29.980 --> 00:41:32.420
of them, even though the moment is tense. Don't

00:41:32.420 --> 00:41:34.699
bother me. Go away. You have to say to them.

00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:38.139
Explained the Amauta Juan Carlos Bayon to Urgente

00:41:38.139 --> 00:41:41.019
.bo. This wraps up. The Amchanchu wants to take

00:41:41.019 --> 00:41:43.960
away the Ahayu. It's spelled A -J -A -Y -U, which

00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:45.719
I looked up, and there's also a link here in

00:41:45.719 --> 00:41:48.019
the Susto Google Doc. It's essentially like the

00:41:48.019 --> 00:41:51.179
life force or the soul. From this random site,

00:41:51.260 --> 00:41:53.840
when I searched it up, wordmeaning .org, it says

00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:56.400
it is a a word in Quechua language, which means

00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:59.320
soul, spirit, cosmic energy, force, or entity

00:41:59.320 --> 00:42:02.039
that contains the feelings and the reason. This

00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:04.699
continues, the Anchanchu wants to take away the

00:42:04.699 --> 00:42:07.139
Ahayu from its victims, and for this reason,

00:42:07.179 --> 00:42:09.539
the most important thing is to control emotions

00:42:09.539 --> 00:42:11.840
in the presence of symptoms. This is going to

00:42:11.840 --> 00:42:13.860
sound really familiar. Some of the symptoms that

00:42:13.860 --> 00:42:16.260
the Amautas associate with the arrival of the

00:42:16.260 --> 00:42:19.159
Anchanchu are a common cold with headaches, general

00:42:19.159 --> 00:42:21.199
malaise in the body, appearance of pimples on

00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:23.320
the face, heaviness in the body, and chills.

00:42:23.530 --> 00:42:27.550
Any element can be cured. First, this says, again,

00:42:27.670 --> 00:42:30.769
sounds familiar, quote, any element can be cured.

00:42:30.909 --> 00:42:33.409
First, you have to change its fortunes. Consult

00:42:33.409 --> 00:42:36.030
the coca leaves to determine the cure and decide

00:42:36.030 --> 00:42:38.789
whether to use animals, minerals, or plants.

00:42:39.030 --> 00:42:41.449
The healing process and spiritual restoration

00:42:41.449 --> 00:42:44.750
are then carried out accordingly. When it's done

00:42:44.750 --> 00:42:47.690
in time, it can be cured. When it's too late,

00:42:47.710 --> 00:42:50.710
it takes longer and requires more ceremonies,

00:42:51.050 --> 00:42:54.389
Bayon concluded. susto. That is I think that

00:42:54.389 --> 00:42:57.210
is that is literally to me that is what susto

00:42:57.210 --> 00:42:59.630
is. So now we're going down the rabbit hole here.

00:42:59.849 --> 00:43:07.579
This is from a pmc .ncbi .nlm .nah. dot gov so

00:43:07.579 --> 00:43:10.519
it's the national library of medicine the national

00:43:10.519 --> 00:43:13.159
center for biotechnology information and this

00:43:13.159 --> 00:43:15.280
is a publication this is a study and there's

00:43:15.280 --> 00:43:17.940
a table here but this study is titled susto as

00:43:17.940 --> 00:43:20.260
a cultural conceptualization of distress existing

00:43:20.260 --> 00:43:22.739
research and aspects to consider for future investigations

00:43:22.739 --> 00:43:26.559
this is published in it says 2023 wow and the

00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:29.320
names attached to this that i see here are fanny

00:43:29.320 --> 00:43:33.059
beatriz martinez rattle devon emerson hinton

00:43:33.059 --> 00:43:36.360
and ulrich stangear but what i found in this

00:43:36.360 --> 00:43:38.239
really quick search there's a table here table

00:43:38.239 --> 00:43:40.900
one it says research that summarizes the definitions

00:43:40.900 --> 00:43:44.019
perceived causes symptoms and management associated

00:43:44.019 --> 00:43:46.880
with susto so it seems like there is susto in

00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:49.880
bolivia and that's what they're that's they're

00:43:49.880 --> 00:43:52.340
talking about without explicitly saying at least

00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:55.019
in the english translation of that site but so

00:43:55.019 --> 00:43:57.460
i searched bolivia and the first thing that popped

00:43:57.460 --> 00:43:59.699
up on the table that said bolivia there is an

00:43:59.699 --> 00:44:01.900
author field of investigation population location

00:44:01.900 --> 00:44:04.719
definition is susto the perceived causes of it

00:44:04.719 --> 00:44:06.579
and the symptoms of it. And so the author was

00:44:06.579 --> 00:44:09.139
Berman from 2010. It was an anthropology study.

00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:12.059
It says Aymara indigenous people from El Alto

00:44:12.059 --> 00:44:15.019
in Bolivia. Again, the Aymara people as well.

00:44:15.119 --> 00:44:18.019
And the definition is that susto is a spiritual

00:44:18.019 --> 00:44:20.059
disorder in which the person loses some component

00:44:20.059 --> 00:44:24.059
of their being in parentheses ahayu. It all ties

00:44:24.059 --> 00:44:26.239
together. Okay, so I was right. It is literally

00:44:26.239 --> 00:44:28.280
susto is what they were talking about. And the

00:44:28.280 --> 00:44:31.260
ahayu is that kind of soul or the essence of

00:44:31.260 --> 00:44:34.820
the person. Interesting. is nothing in this one

00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:38.699
line when it's talking about susto and the aymara

00:44:38.699 --> 00:44:42.420
people for the causes of it but for the symptoms

00:44:42.420 --> 00:44:46.199
it says fever pain skin rashes asocial behavior

00:44:46.199 --> 00:44:48.900
and strange manners crying and sleep problems

00:44:48.900 --> 00:44:52.079
in children wow there are other parts of this

00:44:52.079 --> 00:44:55.940
that have bolivia another one was roldan chicano

00:44:55.940 --> 00:44:59.239
et al in 2017 transcultural nursing was the study

00:44:59.239 --> 00:45:01.679
the location is bolivian immigrants in spain

00:45:02.250 --> 00:45:03.949
It says, susto is a culture -bound syndrome.

00:45:04.269 --> 00:45:06.210
Participants considered susto a disease in which

00:45:06.210 --> 00:45:08.050
the soul of the person gets lost, of course.

00:45:08.150 --> 00:45:10.090
This one, it does have causes. It says, unexpected

00:45:10.090 --> 00:45:11.969
frightening events that cause the separation

00:45:11.969 --> 00:45:14.769
of the soul from the body, which is how pretty

00:45:14.769 --> 00:45:17.090
much I think I've always described it. Oh, wait,

00:45:17.150 --> 00:45:19.409
I didn't even say earlier. I missed it earlier.

00:45:19.590 --> 00:45:23.090
There was, here you go. There was a how to, I

00:45:23.090 --> 00:45:25.130
guess, cure it. Yeah, the management of susto.

00:45:25.230 --> 00:45:27.230
From that first entry that talks specifically

00:45:27.230 --> 00:45:29.010
about the Aymada people, it says, calling the

00:45:29.010 --> 00:45:31.389
lost being with some food, the affected person.

00:45:31.469 --> 00:45:33.909
and likes a patient's clothes or a woolen thread

00:45:33.909 --> 00:45:36.590
and removing strange influences from the patient's

00:45:36.590 --> 00:45:38.829
body. Very interesting. Yeah. And there's all

00:45:38.829 --> 00:45:40.250
these different rituals. There was another one

00:45:40.250 --> 00:45:42.650
here. Again, another anthropology study from

00:45:42.650 --> 00:45:45.409
roasting in 1993. The location was traditional

00:45:45.409 --> 00:45:48.750
Kalawai healers of Bolivia, which again, we referenced

00:45:48.750 --> 00:45:51.650
earlier and then all similar things. Okay. I

00:45:51.650 --> 00:45:53.469
was like, cause I was reading through that page

00:45:53.469 --> 00:45:56.519
and I thought this is. almost textbook of what

00:45:56.519 --> 00:45:59.360
susto is. And so it just, it made sense to me.

00:45:59.420 --> 00:46:02.340
And sure enough, I was able to, all I did was

00:46:02.340 --> 00:46:06.000
connect the dots. Okay. This next source is from

00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:08.599
mythological creatures. This one I thought was

00:46:08.599 --> 00:46:12.300
interesting because the representation of the

00:46:12.300 --> 00:46:15.860
Anchanchu is, it specifically describes different

00:46:15.860 --> 00:46:18.539
ways it can manifest here. So here it says Anchanchu

00:46:18.539 --> 00:46:21.400
is a fearsome demon from Aymara mythology known

00:46:21.400 --> 00:46:24.909
for haunting dark, isolated locales. and manifesting

00:46:24.909 --> 00:46:28.730
as both a red dog and a bald, pudgy older man.

00:46:28.969 --> 00:46:31.230
So the red dog is something we haven't heard

00:46:31.230 --> 00:46:33.389
in these other sources before. It says, he serves

00:46:33.389 --> 00:46:36.030
as a supernatural gatekeeper over precious minerals

00:46:36.030 --> 00:46:39.230
and forcing a strict ritual for access. His chilling

00:46:39.230 --> 00:46:41.869
nocturnal appearances instill terror among those

00:46:41.869 --> 00:46:44.730
who dare to traverse the Andean wilds after midnight.

00:46:45.090 --> 00:46:48.730
So a lot of things in this site, again, mythologicalcreatures

00:46:48.730 --> 00:46:51.610
.net, are very similar to everything else. But

00:46:51.610 --> 00:46:54.039
I want to talk more about his... form or how

00:46:54.039 --> 00:46:56.019
he is manifested. So here in this section, it

00:46:56.019 --> 00:46:58.599
says form and powers. It says in many depictions,

00:46:58.599 --> 00:47:00.980
Anchanchi's physical presence is both startling

00:47:00.980 --> 00:47:03.820
and ambiguous, characterized by a striking red

00:47:03.820 --> 00:47:07.320
canine form that glows in the dim of the pre

00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:10.139
-dawn hours. This fearsome red dog with its intense,

00:47:10.179 --> 00:47:13.119
almost supernatural aura prowls the lonely landscapes

00:47:13.119 --> 00:47:16.119
with an air of menace and mystery. Yet, in other

00:47:16.119 --> 00:47:18.860
portrayals, the demon assumes a bipedal human

00:47:18.860 --> 00:47:21.800
guise, described as a pudgy, bald, older man

00:47:21.800 --> 00:47:25.329
who exudes a deeply unsettling presence the human

00:47:25.329 --> 00:47:28.050
aspect of his form features weathered skin and

00:47:28.050 --> 00:47:30.269
piercing eyes that seem to reflect the depths

00:47:30.269 --> 00:47:33.309
of ancient wisdom and cruelty his dual appearance

00:47:33.309 --> 00:47:35.989
blurs the line between animalistic ferocity and

00:47:35.989 --> 00:47:38.670
human cunning inviting both dread and complex

00:47:38.670 --> 00:47:42.710
sympathy again that line of sympathy. Some accounts

00:47:42.710 --> 00:47:45.690
detail subtle features such as a reddened complexion

00:47:45.690 --> 00:47:47.809
that hints at the molten energies of the earth

00:47:47.809 --> 00:47:50.309
beneath him. The physical contradictions in this

00:47:50.309 --> 00:47:52.809
portrayal contribute to a rich mythic ambiguity,

00:47:53.329 --> 00:47:55.449
challenging observers to decipher which aspect

00:47:55.449 --> 00:47:57.730
of his being holds sway in any given encounter.

00:47:58.210 --> 00:48:00.789
Overall, Anchanchu's dynamic and variable form

00:48:00.789 --> 00:48:03.929
reinforces his role as a liminal figure straddling

00:48:03.929 --> 00:48:06.429
the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural

00:48:06.429 --> 00:48:10.170
realms. For some reason, this entry spoke a lot

00:48:10.170 --> 00:48:12.710
about This idea, again, of those minerals, precious

00:48:12.710 --> 00:48:15.949
minerals, earthly resources. So this starts to

00:48:15.949 --> 00:48:18.670
delve into that area that we've spoken about

00:48:18.670 --> 00:48:22.329
before of these things, these spirits or cryptids

00:48:22.329 --> 00:48:24.550
or monsters, what have you, being protectors

00:48:24.550 --> 00:48:27.090
of the earth. And so this says, unlike many mythic

00:48:27.090 --> 00:48:29.610
entities that are solely malevolent, Anchanchu

00:48:29.610 --> 00:48:32.590
also encompasses aspects of protection and authority

00:48:32.590 --> 00:48:35.570
over natural resources. His dual nature as both

00:48:35.570 --> 00:48:38.349
a fearsome spirit and a custodian of subterranean

00:48:38.349 --> 00:48:40.539
wealth provides a complex... insight into the

00:48:40.539 --> 00:48:43.019
Andean worldview. Over time, his multifaceted

00:48:43.019 --> 00:48:44.619
character has spurred diverse interpretations

00:48:44.619 --> 00:48:47.099
that reveal the intricate connections between

00:48:47.099 --> 00:48:49.579
nature, the supernatural and human endeavor.

00:48:49.880 --> 00:48:52.119
And then something that I thought was really

00:48:52.119 --> 00:48:54.400
interesting here that sent me in a bit of a rabbit

00:48:54.400 --> 00:48:57.659
hole as well was this thing about a dance. And

00:48:57.659 --> 00:49:00.420
so it talks about, again, the protection of minerals,

00:49:00.719 --> 00:49:04.320
earthly resources. This part says there exists

00:49:04.320 --> 00:49:08.119
also a ceremonial aspect to his myth, most notably

00:49:08.119 --> 00:49:25.780
through reference. It's kind of like you can

00:49:25.780 --> 00:49:28.440
make a deal with him that if you do this dance,

00:49:28.699 --> 00:49:31.179
that if you perform this dance, you get access

00:49:31.179 --> 00:49:34.000
to these minerals or these resources. There's

00:49:34.000 --> 00:49:36.179
another part of this that continues, and this

00:49:36.179 --> 00:49:37.679
is really the part that sent me on that rabbit

00:49:37.679 --> 00:49:40.010
hole. we'll dive a little bit into is towards

00:49:40.010 --> 00:49:42.949
the end of this entry. It says festivals and

00:49:42.949 --> 00:49:44.989
cultural performances occasionally incorporate

00:49:44.989 --> 00:49:47.829
elements of his myth, reimagining the traditional

00:49:47.829 --> 00:49:50.510
dance of the horns in new creative expressions.

00:49:50.610 --> 00:49:53.090
As academic interest in indigenous mythologies

00:49:53.090 --> 00:49:55.469
has grown, Anchanchu's narrative has been revisited

00:49:55.469 --> 00:49:57.570
and recontextualized within the framework of

00:49:57.570 --> 00:50:00.269
global myth studies. So again, the mention of

00:50:00.269 --> 00:50:02.369
this dance, right? So I looked it up because

00:50:02.369 --> 00:50:05.369
I've seen other parades where there are people

00:50:05.369 --> 00:50:08.590
dancing in these masks. Some of them look like

00:50:08.590 --> 00:50:10.909
handsome devils. Some of them just look like

00:50:10.909 --> 00:50:13.230
faces. But the ones that are dressed as devils,

00:50:13.250 --> 00:50:15.210
they have like the horse hair hanging off of

00:50:15.210 --> 00:50:17.590
their clothing and they look really cool. I'm

00:50:17.590 --> 00:50:20.190
going to maybe put a clip over that. But of course,

00:50:20.210 --> 00:50:22.369
I had to look into what this dance was. And so

00:50:22.369 --> 00:50:26.530
I found this site, this black platinum gold dot

00:50:26.530 --> 00:50:28.969
com. And this entry is called The Truth Behind

00:50:28.969 --> 00:50:31.530
Bolivia's Dance of the Devils. And this talks

00:50:31.530 --> 00:50:33.449
about the origin and all that. So I was really

00:50:33.449 --> 00:50:35.369
interested. It says every year for many centuries,

00:50:35.610 --> 00:50:37.619
a battle between evil. and good is held over

00:50:37.619 --> 00:50:40.099
12 ,000 feet above sea level in the small city

00:50:40.099 --> 00:50:43.579
of Oruro in western Bolivia. Dancers donned in

00:50:43.579 --> 00:50:46.039
technicolor and elaborate horned masks performed

00:50:46.039 --> 00:50:49.159
the so -called Dance of the Devils or the Diablada

00:50:49.159 --> 00:50:51.440
as they tried to defeat the Archangel Michael

00:50:51.440 --> 00:50:54.340
only to fail in the end. While it might be the

00:50:54.340 --> 00:50:56.860
most thematically poignant and visually striking

00:50:56.860 --> 00:50:59.179
set piece of the festival, the Dance of the Devils

00:50:59.179 --> 00:51:01.699
is only among the many exciting features of the

00:51:01.699 --> 00:51:05.119
yearly Carnaval de Oruro. So, this dance of the

00:51:05.119 --> 00:51:08.320
devils happens in this carnaval and people were

00:51:08.320 --> 00:51:10.679
saying or like it was mentioned earlier and so

00:51:10.679 --> 00:51:13.360
when i looked up dance of the horns in bolivia

00:51:13.869 --> 00:51:16.130
this came up, this dance of the devils, because

00:51:16.130 --> 00:51:18.210
it's kind of, it's known as different names,

00:51:18.230 --> 00:51:20.550
or it gets translated or recontextualized into

00:51:20.550 --> 00:51:22.809
different names. So this continues, the origin

00:51:22.809 --> 00:51:24.750
of the dance of the devils. Most scholars have

00:51:24.750 --> 00:51:27.389
concluded that this unique dance had its origins

00:51:27.389 --> 00:51:31.050
in the Aymaran ritual of the demon Anchanchu,

00:51:31.210 --> 00:51:34.849
and the Lama Lama dance honoring Tiwe, an Uru

00:51:34.849 --> 00:51:37.309
god. Both of these dances can be traced back

00:51:37.309 --> 00:51:39.949
to pre -Columbian Bolivia. However, there are

00:51:39.949 --> 00:51:42.269
several conflicting theories regarding the true

00:51:42.269 --> 00:51:44.369
origins of the dance. Although the dance had

00:51:44.369 --> 00:51:46.949
already been performed as early as the 1500s

00:51:46.949 --> 00:51:50.269
in the Andean region, its name started in 1789

00:51:50.269 --> 00:51:53.329
in Oruro. So it was happening in the 1500s, but

00:51:53.329 --> 00:51:56.230
it didn't get an actual name until the 1700s

00:51:56.230 --> 00:51:58.809
in Bolivia, where the performers wore costumes

00:51:58.809 --> 00:52:00.989
that resembled the devil in the parades known

00:52:00.989 --> 00:52:03.329
as Diabladas. So they were also known as that.

00:52:03.409 --> 00:52:06.969
It was in 1904 in Bolivia. when the first ever

00:52:06.969 --> 00:52:10.210
organized viablada group with a defined choreography

00:52:10.210 --> 00:52:12.889
and music appeared. There are also pieces of

00:52:12.889 --> 00:52:14.989
evidence pointing to the origin of the dance

00:52:14.989 --> 00:52:17.849
among the minors in Potosi, Bolivia. Chile and

00:52:17.849 --> 00:52:20.369
Peru's regional dances may have their influences

00:52:20.369 --> 00:52:22.969
on the modern version of the dance as well. So

00:52:22.969 --> 00:52:24.969
again, all these things kind of like falling

00:52:24.969 --> 00:52:28.829
in this timeline and just maybe changing a bit

00:52:28.829 --> 00:52:32.550
or really the name or how they're known is what's

00:52:32.550 --> 00:52:34.150
changing. As they're giving you names, they're

00:52:34.150 --> 00:52:36.269
giving more structure. it's turned out into this

00:52:36.269 --> 00:52:38.590
carnaval, right? And so this says the Carnaval

00:52:38.590 --> 00:52:41.869
de Ororu. The festival of Carnaval de Ororu has

00:52:41.869 --> 00:52:44.670
been observed by the indigenous Urujipo since

00:52:44.670 --> 00:52:47.269
the pre -Columbian era before the upper Peru

00:52:47.269 --> 00:52:49.929
area's local customs were outlawed by the Spanish

00:52:49.929 --> 00:52:52.730
empire during the 17th century. However, instead

00:52:52.730 --> 00:52:55.369
of disappearing, the festival learned to adapt

00:52:55.369 --> 00:52:58.349
as it incorporated religious dimensions and Christian

00:52:58.349 --> 00:53:01.250
iconography and became a model of syncretism

00:53:01.250 --> 00:53:03.969
among cultures. This reminds me of a conversation

00:53:03.969 --> 00:53:07.340
that I've had before about modern day like brujería,

00:53:07.420 --> 00:53:10.159
hechicería, curanderismo, or just general, I'll

00:53:10.159 --> 00:53:13.099
say Mexican folk magic and how the way that it

00:53:13.099 --> 00:53:17.179
exists today is basically a testament to its

00:53:17.179 --> 00:53:19.940
survival and the ways that it's had to assimilate.

00:53:20.039 --> 00:53:22.980
It's had to take on like Catholic iconography

00:53:22.980 --> 00:53:26.460
or practices in order to survive because like

00:53:26.460 --> 00:53:28.840
it says here, those customs were being outlawed

00:53:28.840 --> 00:53:30.659
by the Spanish Empire. And if it wasn't that

00:53:30.659 --> 00:53:32.880
it was outlawed, then they were being erased

00:53:32.880 --> 00:53:36.400
by many different ways, either by death or by

00:53:36.400 --> 00:53:40.239
danger or intimidation. And so again, these practices

00:53:40.239 --> 00:53:44.320
take on some of its colonizers, I guess, identity

00:53:44.320 --> 00:53:47.079
so that it can keep on going. Okay, this continues.

00:53:47.199 --> 00:53:49.280
As a result of the extensive history of Bolivia

00:53:49.280 --> 00:53:51.820
as a crucial mining area, the festival evolved

00:53:51.820 --> 00:53:54.659
to become a tribute to the Virgen de Socavón,

00:53:54.920 --> 00:53:57.360
which is the patron saint who protects and watches

00:53:57.360 --> 00:54:00.699
over miners. UNESCO recognized the carnaval in

00:54:00.699 --> 00:54:04.320
2001 as a part of the tangible cultural heritage

00:54:04.320 --> 00:54:07.260
of humanity and stated that the deteriorating

00:54:07.260 --> 00:54:09.420
mining activity in the region is among the different

00:54:09.420 --> 00:54:11.400
factors that threatens the indigenous communities

00:54:11.400 --> 00:54:14.219
in the area. However, the carnaval itself doesn't

00:54:14.219 --> 00:54:17.000
show any signs of threat as over 10 ,000 musicians

00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:20.900
and 28 ,000 dancers participate in the main procession

00:54:20.900 --> 00:54:23.480
or entrada that repeatedly traverses a route

00:54:23.480 --> 00:54:26.599
of two and a half miles for 20 hours. The dance

00:54:26.599 --> 00:54:28.800
of devils may have seen cultural transformation

00:54:28.800 --> 00:54:32.139
and imperial oppression, but it has endured them.

00:54:32.170 --> 00:54:35.309
all and continues to thrive year after year.

00:54:35.510 --> 00:54:37.309
Exactly what I was trying to say earlier. That

00:54:37.309 --> 00:54:53.389
was said so perfectly. Wow. Welcome back, Wolf

00:54:53.389 --> 00:54:54.989
friends. I just want to address really quick.

00:54:55.050 --> 00:54:57.449
If you are watching the video version of this,

00:54:57.510 --> 00:55:00.349
I did have an outfit change. The lighting was

00:55:00.349 --> 00:55:02.849
a bit different because I had to stop mid recording

00:55:02.849 --> 00:55:05.469
to go to a dentist appointment. So speaking of

00:55:05.469 --> 00:55:07.150
scary things, I know some people are really scared

00:55:07.150 --> 00:55:09.590
of the dentist, but I thankfully it's just it

00:55:09.590 --> 00:55:11.969
was a filling that got chipped and it's going

00:55:11.969 --> 00:55:14.480
to need to be refilled. And that's fine. It's

00:55:14.480 --> 00:55:16.400
nothing worse than that. It could have been way

00:55:16.400 --> 00:55:18.199
worse. So I'm very happy, very fortunate that

00:55:18.199 --> 00:55:20.159
I could go to the dentist and take care of that.

00:55:20.239 --> 00:55:21.420
But just in case you were watching, you were

00:55:21.420 --> 00:55:23.559
like, why did he change? That's why. Okay, so

00:55:23.559 --> 00:55:25.619
thank you so much for listening. As always, you

00:55:25.619 --> 00:55:27.460
can support the show by sharing it with your

00:55:27.460 --> 00:55:29.139
loved ones, interacting with it wherever you

00:55:29.139 --> 00:55:31.320
are listening or following on social media. That's

00:55:31.320 --> 00:55:33.980
at Susto Podcast on every platform and leaving

00:55:33.980 --> 00:55:36.800
positive ratings and reviews. Reviews like this

00:55:36.800 --> 00:55:39.940
one from HalfSleeper2018 who said, quote, great

00:55:39.940 --> 00:55:42.579
podcast. Thank you. I think so too. I'm originally

00:55:42.579 --> 00:55:45.230
from La Redo. Texas, so I am all too familiar

00:55:45.230 --> 00:55:47.869
with these stories. I have also learned a lot

00:55:47.869 --> 00:55:50.469
of new ones. Reminds me of those summers making

00:55:50.469 --> 00:55:52.969
carne asadas and telling scary stories with friends

00:55:52.969 --> 00:55:55.110
and family growing up. I've said this before.

00:55:55.230 --> 00:55:58.250
This is my favorite kind of comment. I'm literally

00:55:58.250 --> 00:56:01.150
just trying to recreate that moment for us because

00:56:01.150 --> 00:56:03.469
I remember those nights. I can literally smell

00:56:03.469 --> 00:56:06.510
it. I can see the backyard and see everyone around

00:56:06.510 --> 00:56:08.710
me, see the cousins that I'm running around with,

00:56:08.889 --> 00:56:11.349
hear all like the commotion and people yelling

00:56:11.349 --> 00:56:13.829
and laughing, and then even It gets to that point

00:56:13.829 --> 00:56:15.889
in the night. So that means so much to me whenever

00:56:15.889 --> 00:56:18.269
I get comments like that. So thank you, HalfSleeper2018.

00:56:18.869 --> 00:56:20.570
And if I read this comment before, I'm sorry,

00:56:20.650 --> 00:56:22.389
please let me know. I need to find a better way

00:56:22.389 --> 00:56:24.489
of keeping track of these. Thank you so much

00:56:24.489 --> 00:56:26.710
for, again, leaving that positive rating and

00:56:26.710 --> 00:56:29.530
review. It is always a big support and help to

00:56:29.530 --> 00:56:32.030
the show. You can also support the show for $3

00:56:32.030 --> 00:56:34.250
or more a month by visiting patreon .com slash

00:56:34.250 --> 00:56:37.250
susto podcast and signing up for any of the paid

00:56:37.250 --> 00:56:40.090
tiers there. You technically can sign up to be

00:56:40.090 --> 00:56:43.480
a Patreon subscriber for... free, but currently

00:56:43.480 --> 00:56:47.000
I don't have anything that I post for free on

00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:49.920
Patreon. So if you want the extra benefits and

00:56:49.920 --> 00:56:52.840
perks like early and ad free access to episodes,

00:56:52.960 --> 00:56:55.800
then you can sign up for the base tier and then

00:56:55.800 --> 00:56:57.239
it's up to you if you want to sign up for more.

00:56:57.340 --> 00:56:58.960
But just letting you all know, because I do see

00:56:58.960 --> 00:57:00.699
that I have free subscribers on there, but I

00:57:00.699 --> 00:57:02.639
don't really post much. Once in a while, I'll

00:57:02.639 --> 00:57:04.300
post something that's going to get posted on

00:57:04.300 --> 00:57:07.179
social media anyway. So it's up to you all. And

00:57:07.179 --> 00:57:09.559
while we were talking about Patreon, a major

00:57:09.559 --> 00:57:12.599
monstrous thank you. to this episode's patrons.

00:57:12.840 --> 00:57:35.940
You are... Thank you so much for your support.

00:57:36.059 --> 00:57:39.099
As you know, it means so, so much to me. I will

00:57:39.099 --> 00:57:41.920
talk to you all in the next episode. And until

00:57:41.920 --> 00:57:44.760
then, no te asustes. Bye!