Cult that reveres skulls closes Bolivia festival

November 8, 2012 | Modified: November 8, 2012 at 6:47 pm
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Candles burn before a row of decorated human skulls or “Natitas,” during the Natitas Festival at the Cementerio General, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012. "Natitas," are human skulls from unnamed, abandoned graves that are cared for and decorated by faithful who use them as amulets believing they serve as protection from thieves. The festival is a mixture of Andean ancestral worship rites and Catholic beliefs. According to experts, it was common practice in the pre-Hispanic era to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. The festival marks the end of the All Saints’ holiday, but is not recognized by the Catholic church. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Members of a Bolivian cult that reveres human skulls have held a rite to close out a Roman Catholic religious festival in honor of the dead.

Followers believe skulls have miraculous powers and they carried about 300 skulls to a chapel in a cemetery in La Paz on Thursday.

Believers say the skulls grant them favors — from finding a job to helping their favorite soccer team win.

Although the cult is rejected by the Catholic Church, it has quickly gained followers. They pay homage to their skulls by offering them music, prayer and food.

Bolivia's archbishop decried the practice five years ago, saying it distorts the Catholic faith.

Skulls were often conserved as trophies during pre-Hispanic times and used in rituals to symbolize life and death.