Morales, like many rural Bolivians, was raised with a combination of Catholicism and belief in the Pachamama in addition to Ekeko. Other indigenous leaders, such as Felix Patzi, follow a pure indigenous faith and reject Christianity. Even though there are leaders within this faith, there has not been a shift amongst Bolivians to become 'indigenous-belief only'.
When faced with a Morales policy that they disagreed with, such as the proposed secularization, liberalization and modernization of schools, the Catholic bishops of Bolivia were able to inspire massive demonstrations against the measures. The Catholic Church drew most of its support from the cities and little from rural areas (where Morales drew his primary support) due to limited assets and the prevalence of traditional indigenous culture. Morales has stated that he is a Catholic.