In pictures: Morales' indigenous ritual

An Aymara Indian holds a flag from the old Inca empire during spiritual ceremonies on the eve of the inauguration as Bolivian president of Evo Morales.

Thousands of Bolivia's Aymara and Quechua Indians gathered at the ruins of the ancient city of Tiwanaku to see the rituals.

Dressed in a red tunic and flanked by spiritual leaders, Mr Morales walked barefoot through the ancient site.

Bolivia's first Indian to be elected president, he accepted a staff symbolising his leadership of the indigenous peoples.

He then addressed the crowd in Aymara and Spanish, saying: "Today begins a new era for the native peoples of the world."

A llama herder as a boy, Mr Morales is seen by the majority indigenous population as offering hope of a new equality.

He will be formally sworn in as Bolivia's elected president in front of world leaders in La Paz on Sunday.