Ayoreo (Bolivianita Legend)

The raw “Bolivianita” gemstone has been known for centuries by the natives belonging to the Ayoreo tribe. (Eastern Bolivia).

The legend is a story of the  Ayorea princess Anahi, who was very beautiful and caught the attention of a conqueror of the Castizo (indigenous people) named Don Felipe de Urriola y Goitía. He took her as his wife in marriage. However, when the Ayoreo people learned that Don Felipe was planning to return to Spain and take his wife with him, they decided to kill him to prevent him from taking Anahi. She learned of the plot and helped her consort escape, paying for her boldness with her own life. She died in her husband’s arms, but before dying, she gave him a piece of a crystal of rare beauty, with two different colours, a Bolivianita, representing the divided love between her husband and her people.