 A 1551 Peninsular Corpus Christi play shows the earliest recorded use of the word loa, as we know, in reference to a dramatic prologue in Latin America.Until 1581, the loa was used in religious drama.Loas gained popularity in the "New World" by the 17th century because playwrights attached to the viceregal courts from Spain were aiming to flatter these patrons as well as the monarchs of Spain.