Cochabamba keeps secrets hidden in its streets and passages, one of these is the mysterious San Rafael passage, known as the “Devil’s Passage.” This corner, which brings together a variety of legends, paranormal experiences and an open-air artistic museum, is located in the heart of the city.
Ornate and with touches of color thanks to the creativity and care of the neighbors, it has two main entrances: on Lanza and Ecuador streets and on Colombia streets between San Martín and Lanza. In addition, the “Devil’s Passage” was declared a heritage and cultural space of the city of Cochabamba by Municipal Resolution No. 6766, approved on May 13, 2014.
During the 19th century, history passed down through generations tells that the passage marked the limits of the city and functioned as a key point for travelers and merchants heading to the tropics of Cochabamba. At that time, the passage housed blacksmith shops, lodgings and boarding houses, recalls the Supay Kullku collective, which is in charge of making cultural arrangements to promote different activities in the passage, still unknown by some locals.
This hustle and bustle of the past contrasts with the legends of mystery that surround the place due to stories of goblins, apparitions of souls that wander through the night, and hidden treasures—the famous “covered ones”—are part of the mystique of the passage, attracting curious and curious people. lovers of the paranormal.
A museum rich in history
In 2021, together with the mARTadero project, the revitalization of the passage was carried out with the creation of the “Marea de Mujeres”, a series of paintings that pays tribute to prominent Latin American female figures such as Adela Zamudio, Gabriela Mistral and Mercedes Sosa.
This project turned the San Rafael passage into an open-air museum, unique in the center of Cochabamba. To share the history of this place, the cultural collective Supay Kullku produced a short film titled “Memories of the San Rafael Passage – Cultural Heritage”, a multi-week effort that brings together testimonies from neighbors and historical images to highlight the heritage value of the place.
Pablo Guillén, a member of the collective, points out that this project was financed by a national microproject competition and was developed in a record time of two months. “The documentary not only tells the legends of the passage, but also seeks to highlight its duality: the mystery of the night and the beauty of the day,” he comments.
One of the most interesting points of the short is the representation of the “devil” as a child, challenging the traditional image and exploring the idea of the duality between good and evil, he highlights.
A meeting point
The San Rafael passage is not only a place of history and mystery, but also a meeting point. Every year, in September, during the San Rafael festival, the collective and the neighbors organized a celebration with music, mariachis and activities for older adults. “It is not only a historical place, it is a space with the potential to become a tourist and cultural reference for the city,” says Guillén.
The collective also promotes the orange economy, a model based on creativity and culture as drivers of economic development. “We want the San Rafael passage to be like the Calle de las Brujas in La Paz, a place full of life, with cafes, galleries and constant cultural activities,” he comments.
recovering the past
One of the most exciting and memorable moments of the collective’s work was the recovery of historical photographs of the San Rafael passage in the national archives of Sucre. These images, taken in 1975, offer a unique view of the place and its original architecture. This discovery reinforces the importance of preserving and documenting the cultural heritage of Cochabamba.
In addition, historians suggest that the design of the passage could have been inspired by similar infrastructures in Potosí, highlighting the historical connection between these two cities, he explains.
“Let’s take into account that Potosí has been one of the richest and most advanced cities historically at a certain time and all that infrastructure was replicated in other cities and, within that planning would be the passage,” adds Guillén, after reviewing archives and speaking with historians.
The San Rafael passage, with its history, art and mysticism, is a place that deserves to be visited and appreciated for its unique atmosphere, especially at night, which envelops visitors with its mysticism and captivates with its open-air museum to learn more about brave and outstanding women, without leaving aside their legends and paranormal stories.
The collective also invites locals and tourists to rediscover this magical place. “The Devil’s Passage is much more than a passage, there is still a lot to tell,” Guillén concludes.
SAN RAFAEL PASSAGE
By: Hugo Gumiel Chacón – Cultural journalist
Known as the Devil’s Passage, the devil’s street and in the past K’ajlla Supay, Supay Street. It was used as a route by muleteers, it is said since the time of the Aymara and Quechua cultures. They transported products from Chapare to: the town of Cochabamba, the upper valley and the lower valley. This entire area was unpopulated; Only in the passage there were rest areas, between dairy farms and leisure facilities for passers-by who also took advantage of feeding and hydrating the pack animals, in the Pampa Pila area, located now on Ecuador Street in front of to the Wilstermann clubhouse.
In this passage, fantastic horror stories emerged, like these. In the place, many homes had fig trees and at night it was filled with laughter and it was heard in all tones: happy, mischievous, screaming. They were goblins who came out to play, they liked to throw the fruits and also throw them at the windows, leaving the fruits inside them.
It is said that when they knocked down some old houses to make modifications or build other walls, they found hidden treasures buried between cupboards and walls or in conjunctions from wall to wall.
On another occasion, when digging a foundation to build another new wall, they found human skulls and skeletons. In other excavations they were standing but without skulls. They say that, after midnight, a black rider passed by with his cart and some saints had the habit of spying and snooping through the window at everything that happened. One night they decided to go out at that time when the wagon was crossing so they could talk to the rider; When the cart approached them, they realized that it was on fire and in the back there was a demon locked in the cart and they say that since that night the blessed women disappeared.
In 1970, the neighbors, the authorities and the Capuchinas convent decided to name: San Rafael passage in honor of the Archangel Rafael who is remembered every October 24.
THE LEGEND OF THE HUMAN REMAINS FOUND
Some time ago, when carrying out an excavation, people’s skulls and walled-up skeletons were found in different homes. These were standing between two walls but without skulls.
THE LEGEND OF THE COVERED
In the passage, covered or buried treasures were found, one of them was found by a transporter between a cupboard and an adobe wall, where the pharmacy is currently located.
THE LEGEND OF THE SPIRITS OF THE WELL
Many years ago, in one of the houses there was a well in which a priest lived. Others said that a woman was the one in the well who made herself known through appearances and noises.
THE LEGEND OF THE FIG TREE ELVES
It was said that at night the passage was filled with mischievous laughter. They were the elves who came out of the fig trees to play, they liked to throw the fruits at the windows or leave them inside the houses.
