Bolivian president-elect crowned supreme chief in ancient Indian temple

Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales was crowned supreme chief of Andean Indians in an elaborate ceremony at an ancient Indian temple on Saturday, one day before his inauguration as Bolivia's first indigenous president.

Thousands of people gathered at the archaeological remains of the Tiawanacu civilization that flourished around 5,000 B.C. near the shores of Lake Titicaca to witness the ritual, according to reports from Bolivia's administrative capital of La Paz, which is 65 km to the cite.

In the traditional Indian spiritual ceremony, Morales, dressed in a bright red tunic worn only by the most important pre-Incan priests, was blessed in the Kalasasaya temple by priests and accepted a baton adorned with gold and silver, symbolizing his Indian leadership.

Addressing the crowd gathered in front of the temple, Morales called his landslide election a victory for indigenous populations around the world.

"Today is a new day for the original peoples of the world. A new day in which we seek equality, justice, a new era for all the peoples of the world," Morales said.

"I am convinced that only with the strength of the people and the unity of the people will we end the colonial model, the neoliberal model," he said.

After the ceremony, Morales headed to a big party and shared with the attendance a cake made of the local grain quinoa, large enough to feed 40,000 people and decorated with Morales' face and the sacred Andean peak Illimani.

Morales was born in 1959 in an indigenous family in Isallavi, Bolivia, and finished 11th grade in high school. He worked as a herdsman and a farmer in his early years and joined the military service at age of 16.

In October 2003, Morales was instrumental in leading mass protests that led to the resignation of former president Sanchez de Lozada in the so-called "gas wars."

He won the presidential election of Bolivia with 53.7 percent of the vote on Dec. 18, 2005 and will take office on Sunday.

Source: Xinhua