Enjoying the Culture 159The village is named after an Incan princess who was
converted to Catholicism by her Spanish lover. She was the
daughter of the high priest of the Sun Temple in Cuzco,
although she lived in what is now Chile. After watching
her father murdered by conquistadors, she killed any
Spaniard who came near her or her people and gained the
nickname of La Tirana del Tamarugal (the Tyrant of the land
of Tamarugo trees).
One night a silver miner named Vasco de Almeida was
captured. It had been the rule to kill all Spaniards, but the
princess fell in love with him, and through him learned the
Christian concept of eternal life after death. She converted
to Christianity in order to be united forever with de Almeida
in the next life. The princess was baptised with the name
María. Soon after, she imposed Catholicism on her people
by force. María and her husband were eventually killed by
angry mobs. As she lay dying, she begged to be buried with
her husband at the place where she had been baptised. The
grave was marked with a cross.
Years later a priest found the cross, and upon hearing the
legend built a temple in honour of the Virgen del Carmen of
La Tirana. This sanctuary is the end point of the colourful
procession of chinos, the highlight of the festival. Chinos are
brotherhoods that call themselves guardians of the Virgin
Mary. (In spite of their name, which means the Chinese,
their practices have nothing to do with Chinese culture.)
These societies wear special uniforms that resemble those
of conquistadors, Indians, ancient Romans or other groups.
They dance and chant divinities similar to prayers from
Spain during the ceremony.
Easter Island and the Rapa Nui
Easter Island or Isla de Pascua is shrouded in mystery. A
group of Polynesians, the Rapa Nui, first settled on the island
around AD 400, led there in bark canoes by Hotu Matua, the
king. As the population grew, a clan society developed based
upon the extended family. The family unit jointly owned and
cultivated the land and each clan was led by a chief (ariki).
Crop production required relatively little time and labour,