An estimated 15,000 Indians from Bolivia and South and Central America rallied in support of Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president.
The rally took place on D�a de la Raza, or Indigenous Peoples Day. The event replaces the commemoration of Columbus Day.
"My friends, surely 514 years ago the Western invaders thought to finish us off, sought to exterminate the indigenous people," Morales told the crowd, the Associated Press reported.
"October 12, once known as a day of disgrace, is now a day of liberation."
Morales made history when he was elected last December.
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