Long before the Spanish settlement, the ancient town of Uru Uru (pre-Hispanic name for Oruro) was a religious destination for the Aymara & Quecha people of the Andes.

Locals would worship Andean deities , praying for protection & giving thanks to pachamama. With the Spanish conquest of Bolivia and the introduction of Catholicism, today, the carnival of Oruro celebrates a pagan-catholic tradition and is a representation of good against evil and the victory of the army of angels, guided by Archangel Micheal.