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Discover how Colombian folklorist Gloria García found identity, belonging, and cultural resistance through Bolivia’s Tinkus Puros in London, preserving ancestral Latin American traditions across Europe. Gloria García wearing the traditional costume of the Tinkus Puros folk dance group.
For Gloria García, a Colombian cultural advocate and folklorist living in London, reconnecting with her roots has become more than a personal journey — it is a lifelong mission.
Since arriving in the United Kingdom, Gloria has carried with her the sounds, colors, and spiritual traditions of Latin America: the towering Andes, the mysteries of the Amazon rainforest, Colombia’s coffee mountains, the vibrant Pacific coast and the rhythmic heartbeat of Afro-Caribbean drums.
These memories, intertwined with indigenous flutes and ancestral melodies, have shaped her understanding of identity and belonging. They also inspired her growing passion for Latin American folklore and traditional dance.
Over the years, Gloria became involved with Colombian dance groups such as Talentos and Yuruparí before eventually joining Tinkus Puros, one of Bolivia’s most recognized folkloric fraternities.
Gloria García poses with fellow Tinkus Puros dancers Paola Porcel and Carlos during a cultural event.
Preserving Indigenous Heritage Through Dance
The word “Tinku” comes from the Quechua language and means “encounter.” Historically, the tradition represents ritual combat ceremonies performed as offerings to Pachamama — Mother Earth — in hopes of securing fertile lands and prosperous harvests.
Founded in 1987 by university students in La Paz, Bolivia, Tinkus Puros began as a movement to preserve ancestral dances and indigenous identity. Decades later, the organization expanded beyond Bolivia into countries such as Peru, Chile, Argentina, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The invisible wings of the Andean condor seem to rise above the vast sea and British coastline, carrying the spirit of the Tinkus Puros across borders. In this photograph, Gloria García raises her arms in traditional Tinkus Puros attire overlooking the sea at Eastbourne Beach on England’s southern coast.
For Gloria, becoming part of the fraternity has been emotionally transformative.
Each performance, she says, feels like an act of liberation — a spiritual connection where every movement carries meaning beyond choreography. The brightly colored costumes symbolize abundance, life and gratitude toward the earth.
Members of the Tinkus Puros dance group pose during the Eastbourne Folk Festival in England.
Culture Beyond Borders
Traveling across Europe with Tinkus Puros has also allowed Gloria to build bridges between cultures.
Their performances create spaces where language becomes secondary and artistic expression takes center stage. One of those moments occurred during the Eastbourne Cultural Festival in England, where audiences embraced the group’s Andean traditions with enthusiasm and admiration.
From left: Benjamín Rojas, choreographer of Tinkus Puros; his wife, Paola Vega; and, at far right, Ivone Vega, director of the London-based Tinkus Puros organization.
The greatest gift has not only been cultural preservation but also human connection, Gloria says
Yet beyond the artistic and cultural education, Gloria says the most meaningful part of the experience has been the sense of human connection she discovered within this Bolivian brotherhood. She speaks with particular admiration of Ivone Vega, director of Tinkus Puros in England, whose leadership — alongside the unwavering support of her sister, Paola Vega, and her husband, choreographer Benjamín Rojas — has helped create a community defined by warmth, solidarity, and belonging, a place where each member can find something resembling the comfort of home.
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