(no subject)
Morales seeks blessing in Indian temple
He'll ask Andean gods for guidance on the eve of his inauguration.
TIAWANACU, Bolivia (AP) -- In the ancient temple of a lost civilization far from the Government Palace, a barefoot Evo Morales will ask Andean gods for help and guidance Saturday on the eve of his inauguration as Bolivia's first Indian president.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on the archaeological remains of the Tiawanacu civilization near the shores of Lake Titicaca, 65 kilometers (40 miles) outside of La Paz.
There, Morales, a U.S. critic who won by a landslide on a leftist platform, will be blessed by Indian priests who consider themselves inheritors of this pre-Incan culture
Morales will walk onto the Akapana pyramid, put on a red tunic with gold and black detail, and accept a baton from the priests that symbolizes his Indian leadership. Morales will then walk alone and barefoot into the Kalasasaya temple before coming out of the entrance to greet the crowd.
Then it's party time in the city of Tiawanacu, which prepared a cake, made from the local grain quinoa, large enough to feed 40,000 people. The decoration features Morales' face and the sacred Andean peak Illimani.
He'll ask Andean gods for guidance on the eve of his inauguration.
TIAWANACU, Bolivia (AP) -- In the ancient temple of a lost civilization far from the Government Palace, a barefoot Evo Morales will ask Andean gods for help and guidance Saturday on the eve of his inauguration as Bolivia's first Indian president.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on the archaeological remains of the Tiawanacu civilization near the shores of Lake Titicaca, 65 kilometers (40 miles) outside of La Paz.
There, Morales, a U.S. critic who won by a landslide on a leftist platform, will be blessed by Indian priests who consider themselves inheritors of this pre-Incan culture
Morales will walk onto the Akapana pyramid, put on a red tunic with gold and black detail, and accept a baton from the priests that symbolizes his Indian leadership. Morales will then walk alone and barefoot into the Kalasasaya temple before coming out of the entrance to greet the crowd.
Then it's party time in the city of Tiawanacu, which prepared a cake, made from the local grain quinoa, large enough to feed 40,000 people. The decoration features Morales' face and the sacred Andean peak Illimani.