Simón Isidoro Patiño

Simón Iturri Patiño was a Bolivian industrialist who was among the world's wealthiest people at the time of his death. With a fortune built from ownership of a majority of the tin industry in Bolivia, Patiño was nicknamed "The Andean Rockefeller". During World War II, Patiño was believed to be one of the five wealthiest men in the world.

Aymara men's traditional feast day attire

In the mid-19th century, indigenous Aymara men wore large feathered hats, white cotton shirts, and short trousers decorated with ribbons at the knees.

Carrying infants in cotton ponchos

Indigenous women often carried their infants slung in cotton ponchos over their shoulders while working or dancing.

Alasitas festival wishes and miniature goods

During the festival of Alasitas in La Paz, artisans sold miniature items like toy suitcases filled with money and tiny degrees, which citizens bought to manifest their wishes for the coming year.

Elaborate costumes in religious festival dances

Religious festivals like Corpus Christi featured dancers wearing elaborate costumes with jaguar skins and feathers, or masks representing the sun, moon, and bulls.

Long travel times for distant trade routes

Communication between major centers was slow and difficult; a trip between Potosi and Arica took 10 to 12 days, while traveling to Buenos Aires via Salta could take up to 90 days.

Mule travel was the primary mode

Travel was predominantly done on muleback as wheel-based vehicles were virtually non-existent; in 1826, there were almost no wheeled carriages in the entire republic.

Cooking Practices and Clay Pot Prices

Ordinary families cooked slowly using clay pots placed on open wood fires, which imparted flavor and texture to stews and grains like mote. Specialized artisanal potters spent a week crafting three clay pots, which were sold at local festivals for prices ranging from 50 centavos for small toy pots to 150 Pesos Bolivianos for large vessels.

Expanding Elementary Schooling for Children

During the mid-19th century, the government sought to democratize education, establishing schools like the Colegio de San Alberto in Cochabamba, which offered free elementary programs. By 1874, the state declared primary education mandatory, though efforts to reach indigenous populations often relied on church-led bilingual initiatives.

Cooking with Llama Dung

Families cooked using taquia, or llama dung, as fuel for their fires.

Eating Fava Beans Instead of Bread

Instead of bread, families often ate fava beans (habas phuspu), or mote of fava beans or corn.

Wages often paid in goods

In the early nineteenth century, mine owners often paid a significant portion of wages, sometimes around 60 percent, in the form of goods rather than money. By the late nineteenth century, workers still received goods as partial payment, though this practice became less common.

Local coffee prices in La Paz

In the 1870s, coffee produced in the Yungas region was consumed locally and sold in La Paz for 20 to 25 cents per pound. Transportation difficulties restricted the availability and export of this and other domestic products like sugar and tobacco.

Illicit mining by kajchas

Kajchas were independent miners who performed illicit mining at night or on holidays, sometimes raiding active mines or working abandoned shafts to find silver.

Indigenous river boatmen in Beni

Indigenous people in the Beni region often worked as boatmen, transporting goods, passengers, and mail across rivers because they were essential for river navigation.