Oruro
Oruro, city, west-central Bolivia. It lies at 12,150 feet (3,702 meters) above sea level in the Altiplano region, 30 miles (48 km) north of Lake Poopó.
Founded in 1606 as Real Villa de San Felipe de Austria (“Royal Town of St. Philip of Austria”), Oruro rose to prominence during the Spanish colonial period as the center of a rich silver-mining region. It lost importance with the decline of silver production in the 19th century but regained status with the development of tin mining and became one of Bolivia’s most prosperous cities for much of the 20th century. Tungsten and zinc are also mined nearby. The city possesses a technical university (1892), several colonial churches, and a refinery that processes much of the country’s tin. The hub of Bolivia’s railway system, Oruro is connected by train to the cities of Uyuni and Tupiza, as well as to Argentina and Chile. Oruro is also accessible by road from the cities of Cochabamba, La Paz and from Chile and Argentina.
Oruro is probably best known for its colorful pre-Lenten Carnival, which takes place over 10 days in February or March. Dancers don costumes and masks featuring caricatures of devils, animals, Inca rulers, and enslaver and pay homage to the Virgen del Socavón (“Virgin of the Mineshaft”). Because of its spiritual and cultural significance to Indigenous Uru communities, the Carnival of Oruro was inscribed to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.
Pop. (2001) 201,230; (2010 prelim.) 216,700.
