Though it took more weeks than I had anticipated, I have given a general portrayal of the history of silver mining in the Bolivian town of Potosi. The Cerro Rico was undoubtedly one of the largest and wealthiest mineral deposits in the history of the world. Today, Potosi is a pale shadow of its former self, subsisting on tourism, agriculture, and a decapitated mining economy. Its colonial architecture is a sad reminder of the fate of the world’s great boom towns.
What is seared into the hearts and minds of the Bolivian population is this: the poorest and most destitute places in the country are those that once relinquished its greatest wealth. In the shadow of the scarred mountain of Potosi, the entire Bolivian nation mourns the loss of its national treasures, and rages against the foreign imperialists and national elites who prospered so handsomely while the indigenous masses wallowed in poverty and death.
Potosi is not the only example of Latin America’s 500 year history of tragic exploitation, and nobody spells it out in more painstaking and heartbreaking detail than Eduardo Galeano in his classic work The Open Veins of Latin America.
The “populist” appeal of Evo Morales runs deep; he never misses an opportunity to rally the troops by invoking his mantra: “500 years of pillaging by foreign imperialists…”. Such statements strike a chord with the Bolivian electorate, largely because they are true. The people don’t have to look far to see the social and environmental wreckage that was left behind.
The cycle of nationalization and privatization that has plagued Latin American economies for the past hundred years is inextricably linked to centuries of foreign exploitation and intervention. The problem it seems, is that both alternatives are full of pitfalls and shortcomings. While privatization may eliminate the gross inefficiencies and corruption so often associated with state-run enterprise, clearly the neoliberal approach has failed to provide greater social equity and an equal distribution of non-renewable resources that should be used for the development of sustainable productive activities and the provision of social services.
Now Bolivia faces a choice. The Morales government can use the growing revenue base to eliminate foreign debt and invest in programs and activities that will empower the Bolivian populace to develop micro-enterprise activities that are able to effectively and sustainably exploit Bolivia’s vast cultural and biological wealth. Or, Bolivia can continue down its historical path as a “rentier” society, using the revenue to generate employment through the development of bulky and inefficient bureaucratic structures that will most certainly implode as the natural gas revenues decrease with time, over-exploitation, and bureaucratic mismanagement.
2 responses to “Festering Wounds”
Hi again, I have enjoyed reading your posts regarding Cerro Rico and the sequential parts of your story. I read Eduardo Galeanos’ book while trekking along the Andes and was in Bolivia (August-November, 1980), a month after Garcia Mesa regime was in power. While in Sucre, I learned (from university students) about the Bolivian congressman, politician, and gifted orator Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz who Mesa had killed/disappeared. While in Cochabamba, I meet university student travelers from nearby Argentina. I was astounded to find out that they were coming to Bolivia to get books in Bolivia because these books (such as “Open Veins”), were impossible to get in their home country. I was even more astounded to see them tearing the books into smaller sections, taping the pages to their legs and with their pants pulled up, ask me if I could detect something under the pants! Sadly, I have lots more that I could share!
By the way, are you continuing with your posts? If so, please let me know. I am especially interested to read ( in your unique literary sytle), your take on what is happening in Bolivia now, especiallly since you do a decent job of describing it’s agonizing past history. I read as much as I can about Bolivia (on the web) but was especially attracted to your post because you said, …
” The amount of misinformation regarding this issue in the blogosphere is staggering. I hope that by reading this, commentators will be better equipped to understand that Evo Morales did not rise to power in a historical vacuum, but his ascendancy is closely tied to historical precedents ingrained in the Bolivian soul…” That being said, I am happy that the native peoples of Bolivia finally have as their reresentative, a President from their own! and am eager to read yout historical contextual take on Evo’s rise to power! Thanks._victor r.
[…] I would like to see a Bolivian politician say this: "Yes, we have a lot of problems. There’s racism and discrimination and a historical tragedy that won’t leave us alone. But for the most part, government can’t do much about that. Let’s make an effort to be on time to meetings. Let’s stop stealing from the public treasury. Let’s focus all of our efforts as a nation on building the best road system in South America…well, err, okay, let’s focus on building the best road system in the Andes. For the WHOLE country, no exceptions. And let’s invest the rest in schools and education, for the WHOLE country, no exceptions." […]