Table Of ContentINDIGENOUS STRUGGLE
AND THE BOLIVIAN
NATIONAL REVOLUTION
Indigenous Struggle and the Bolivian National Revolution: Land and Liberty! reinterprets
the genesis and contours of the Bolivian National Revolution from an indigenous
perspective.
In a critical revision of conventional works, the author reappraises and
reconfigures the tortuous history of insurrection and revolution, counterrevolution
and resurrection, and overthrow and aftermath in Bolivia. Underlying the history
of creole conflict between dictatorship and democracy lies another conflict—the
unrelenting 500-year struggle of the conquered indigenous peoples to reclaim
usurped lands, resist white supremacist dominion, and seize autonomous political
agency. The book utilizes a wide array of sources, including interviews and
documents to illuminate the thoughts, beliefs, and objectives of an extraordinary
cast of indigenous revolutionaries, giving readers a firsthand look at the struggles
of the subaltern majority against creole elites and Anglo-American hegemons in
South America’s most impoverished nation.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars of modern Latin American
history, peasant movements, the history of U.S. foreign relations, revolutions,
counterrevolutions, and revolutionary warfare.
James Kohl is an independent scholar based in Connecticut, USA. He has
contributed articles to many journals: Hispanic American Historical Review, The
Journal of Peasant Studies, Inter-American Economic Affairs, Latin American Research
Review, American Historical Review, The Nation, and The Progressive. He is the
co-editor of Urban Guerrilla Warfare in Latin America.
INDIGENOUS STRUGGLE
AND THE BOLIVIAN
NATIONAL REVOLUTION
Land and Liberty!
James Kohl
First published 2021
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Taylor & Francis
The right of James Kohl to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
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registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kohl, James V., author.
Title: Indigenous struggle and the Bolivian National Revolution : land and
liberty! / James Kohl.
Other titles: Land and liberty!
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020022569 (print) | LCCN 2020022570 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367471521 (hbk) | ISBN 9780367471392 (pbk) | ISBN
9781003033813 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Bolivia—History—Revolution, 1952—Causes. |
Bolivia—Politics and government—1938– | Indians of South America—
Bolivia—Government relations. | Indians of South America—Land
tenure—Bolivia. | Indians of South America—Civil rights—Bolivia. |
Peasant uprisings—Bolivia—History—20th century. | Nationalism—
Bolivia—History—20th century. | Chaco War, 1932–1935—Influence.
Classification: LCC F3326 .K64 2021 (print) | LCC F3326 (ebook) |
DDC 984.05/1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020022569
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020022570
ISBN: 978-0-367-47152-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-47139-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-03381-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Visit the eResources: www.routledge.com/Indigenous-Struggle-
and-the-Bolivian-National-Revolution-Land-and-Liberty/Kohl/p/
book/9780367471392
To the Memory of
Antonio Mamani Álvarez
aka
Antonio Álvarez Mamani
For my parents
Virgil and Maryon Kohl
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations viii
List of Maps ix
List of Tables x
Preface xi
Introduction 1
1 War: The Generation of the Chaco 10
2 Revolution 47
3 Counterrevolution 88
4 The Sexenio 112
5 Revolution: Redux, 1952–1965 159
6 Agrarian Reform 203
7 Sindicato and Revolution 250
8 The “Revolution of Restoration” 289
Epilogue 343
Bibliography 380
Index 399
ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 Bolivia Rushes Its Troops to the Chaco Front 13
2.1 Antonio Mamani Álvarez (wearing striped poncho) with
Chipana Ramos to His Left 74
3.1 Honor Guard at Lamp Post Where Martyred President Gualberto
Villarroel Was Hanged in 1946 103
4.1 Antonio Mamani Álvarez (second from left) Holding Photo of
Martyred President Villarroel 118
4.2 Loyalty March in La Paz Against MNR Rebels in 1949 144
4.3 Cochabamba Police Station Bombed by Rebels in the 1949
Civil War 147
5.1 Antonio Mamani Álvarez Speaking at Solidarity Rally with
Gabino Apaza on His Left 173
5.2 Cross-marking Site of Slain Hacendado at Pojo, Cochabamba
Department 189
7.1 Peasant Comportment in the Face of an Armed Invasion 255
7.2 Ucureña Campesino Central 265
8.1 Repurposed USAID Tear Gas Containers, La Paz 291
9.1 Coca Terrace, Yungas 364
MAPS
1.1 Bolivia 11
1.2 Bolivia Map with Territory Lost in Wars with Chile, Brazil,
and Paraguay 18
4.1 La Paz Department; light-gray shaded area is the altiplano 120
4.2 Cochabamba Valleys 127
6.1 Ecological Zones 213
6.2 Number and Distribution of Community Indians in Bolivia, 1854 222
6.3 Number and Distribution of Community Indians in Bolivia, 1900 224
7.1 Northern Potosí 270
9.1 Major Ethnolinguistic Groups 372
