A man has revealed how he smashed his way out of a coffin after being buried alive by festival goers ‘as a sacrifice to mother earth’ when he passed out while drinking in Bolivia.
After passing out the night before following a heavy drinking session at the opening of the Mother Earth Festival in El Alto, Bolivia, on 5 August, Víctor Hugo Mica Alvarez, 30, found himself 50 miles away inside a casket in Achacachi.
The Mother Earth Festival sees people giving thanks to Pachamama, the goddess of earth and fertility, where they give offerings, also known as a ‘sullu’, to the planet.
Indigenous Bolivians believe the goddess ‘opens her mouth’ for offerings in August, and many will give anything from live animals to sheep foetuses, as well as cocoa leaves and sweets.
Some say ancient human sacrifices and offerings are still carried out in secret.
Alvarez believes that other party-goers had buried him alive as a ‘sullu’, sacrificing him to mother earth.
The 30-year-old told local Bolivian news outlet Página Siete: ‘Last night was the pre-entry [of the festival], we went dancing. And afterwards I don’t remember.
‘The only thing I remember is that I thought I was in my bed, I wanted to get up to go urinate and I couldn’t move.
‘When I pushed the coffin, I was able to break a glass that it had and that way I was able to get out.’
‘They wanted to use me as a sullu.’
But to add insult to injury, when Alvarez reported his burial to police they refused to believe him saying he was too drunk.
The offerings to Pachamama continue all year round, with many indigenous people taking part in folk dances and ritual ceremonies.