El Alto: A World of Difference

Escrito por Ral Zibechi 12 / October / 2005

Chaos in motion. Street vendors, traders, merchants and stallholders, scots and
a!ents !rind ot their insistent son!s. "ra##ic chrns alon! the blac$, stic$% md
that over#lo&s side&al$s and streets. Car horns mi'ed &ith (ndean msic)traditional sonds o# the
hoarse ptt as &ell as electri#%in! !itars)#se &ith voices o##erin!*sellin!*demandin!*
mar$etin!. +ndreds o# trc$s prepare to dive into the hole that is ,a -a., and a #e& others tac$le
the #eat o# retrnin! p the interminable slope/ this is ,a Ce0a o# El (lto)the political and
commercial center o# this (%mara cit%. ( bacchanal o# colors and sonds. (s %o stand here,
ad0stin! %or senses to the 11,500 #oot altitde and ic% cold air blo&in! o## the sno&% Cordillera
Real montain ran!e and ta$in! in the bstle and cro&d, the rac$et be!ins to ta$e shape. 2t is best to
let %orsel# !et lost in it all, ntil the &hirlin! noises become a mrmr, and the din becomes msic.
El (lto is chaos, i# vie&ed #rom the otside. "hat is, i# vie&ed #rom a 3estern, #orei!n, or colonial
perspective.
"he insrrection o# October 2001 that overthre& -resident 4on.alo S5nche. de ,o.ada and tripped
p the neoliberal pro0ect in 6olivia revealed the e'istence o# an alternative (%mara societ% that
reached its hi!hest point o# development in the area srrondin! ,a$e "iticaca and #inds its clearest
contemporar% e'pression in the cit% o# El (lto. "his societ% has its o&n political and social
instittions, its o&n econom%, and a cltre that is clearl% distinct #rom the mesti.o*&hite 7o##icial8
societ% bilt on state instittions and the mar$et econom%.
Explosive Growth
El (lto has pla%ed an important role in 6olivia9s social str!!les. 2n 1:;1, (%mara militias led b%
"pac <atari and 6artolina Sisa established their head=arters in the area, &hich &as at the time
lar!el% ninhabited pampas. >rom there, the% descended on ,a -a., srrondin! it #or several
months. 2n 1;??, the (%mara people o# El (lto established a hman bloc$ade drin! the >ederal
3ar to prevent constittional troops #rom enterin!. 2n 1?52, it &as the political sta!e #or the
de#initive trimph o# the national revoltion. Since the be!innin! o# this centr%, it has been the
political center o# the (%maras, the #astest*!ro&in! cit% in the contr%, and the most si!ni#icant
rebel cit% in all o# ,atin (merica.
El (lto has a !eo!raphic and strate!ic advanta!e over ,a -a., the political and administrative center
o# the contr%. "o&erin! 11,000 #eet above sea level, it controls the slopes and access into the
capital, &hich is located at 11,;00 #eet in a deep depression in the earth &here the Spanish decided
to bild 6olivia9s main cit%. >rom a social standpoint, one cold sa% that on the @orthern -latea,
the poor live above AEl (ltoB and the rich live belo& A,a -a.B. "he (%maras9 !eo!raphic advanta!e
has pla%ed a crcial role in the histor% o# 6olivia, and contines to pla% it toda%.
2n 1?52, a mere 11,000 people lived in El (lto, ma$in! it a basicall% rral poplation. 6% 1?C0,
there &ere 10,000 inhabitantsD in 1?:C the #i!re !re& to ?5,000. 6et&een 1?:C and 1?;5 A&hen
mnicipal atonom% &as achievedB, the poplation !re& e'plosivel%)211,000 people in 12 %ears)
de to emi!ration #rom minin! centers and rral (%mara and Eecha areas o# the @orthern
-latea, reachin! a total o# 10:,000. 6% 1??2 it had climbed to F05,000 and the 2001 censs
sho&ed a total poplation o# C50,000D toda%9s #i!re is estimated to be near ;00,000.
O# this nmber, ;1G identi#% themselves as indi!enos, mainl% (%maras. "he cit% is made p o#
nine districts, ei!ht rban and one rral, and it can be divided into three .ones/ the @orth, poplated
b% mi!rants o# the @orthern -latea &here artisan, man#actrin!, and commercial &or$
predominate, as seen at the enormos mar$et on Hl% 1Cth (vene &here some F0,000 mar$et stalls
conver!eD the Central Zone called ,a Ce0a &here the principal pblic services)&ater and
electricit%)are locatedD and the Soth, &here a #e& #actories and mi!rants #rom the sothern re!ion
o# the district o# ,a -a. can be #ond. "he airport is inlaid into the middle o# the cit%.
"he vast ma0orit% o# inhabitants o# El (lto are poor or ver% poor, and do not have access to potable
&ater, electricit%, health care, edcation, or hosin!. El (lto is a precarios cit%, made p o# dst%,
irre!lar streets and adobe d&ellin!s &ith bric$s la%ered p a!ainst them. 2ts poplation lives nder
harsh temperatres that #lctate, on avera!e, bet&een 1F p to C; de!rees >ahrenheit nder the
mid*da% sn. (n additional #act/ Si't% percent o# the cit% is nder the a!e o# 25.
A Self-Constructed City
"his e'plosive !ro&th)an avera!e o# nearl% 10G annall%)has le#t a lar!e portion o# the inhabitants
o# El (lto &ithot access to basic services. 2n 1??:, I@2CE> estimated that onl% 1FG o# El (lto
residents had access to all services, incldin! paved or cobbled streets, trash pic$*p, and telephone
service. 2n 1??2, onl% 20G o# the inhabitants had access to se&a!e and 1;G to trash pic$*p. 6t in
some districts, those percenta!es are declinin!D in the case o# se&a!e b% 2G, &hile the steps
necessar% to obtain it can ta$e p to 10 %ears. "&ent% percent do not have potable &ater or
electricit%, and ;0G live on dirt roads.
>rthermore, p to :5G o# #amilies to do not have an% t%pe o# health care or medical spport, in an
area &here acte respirator% diseases and diarrhea abond, and in#ant mortalit% rates are hi!h.
2lliterac% approached F0G at the start o# the 1??0s, and onl% 25G o# inhabitants had completed hi!h
school. 2n !eneral, services have been constrcted b% the inhabitants themselves, &ho #ormed
nei!hborhood concils that then #ormed the >ederation o# @ei!hborhood Concils o# El (lto
A>EHIJE, #or its initials in SpanishB. "oda%, there are more than 500 nei!hborhood concils. "he
concils have ta$en char!e o# rban constrction, be it directl%, thro!h collective &or$s o#
solidarit%, or b% pressrin! mnicipal athorities.
3ith re!ard to 0obs, El (lto is characteri.ed b% sel#*emplo%ment. Sevent% percent o# the emplo%ed
poplation &or$s in #amil%*rn bsinesses A50GB, or semi*bsiness sectors A20GB. "hese 0obs are
mostl% in sales and the restarant bsiness A?5G o# the emplo%ed poplationB, #ollo&ed b%
constrction and man#actrin!. 2n these sectors, %on! people predominate/ more than hal# o#
those in the man#actrin! sector are bet&een 20 and 15 %ears o# a!e, the primar% #actor bein! the
over&helmin! presence o# %on! #emales in the #amil%*rn and semi*bsiness trade and restarant
sectors.
2n El (lto, the principle pla%er in the labor mar$et is the #amil%, both in its role as an emplo%ment*
!eneratin! nit and in its contribtion o# salaried &or$ers. ( ne& social and &or$ cltre has
emer!ed, one mar$ed b% 0ob insecrit%, instabilit%, and di##erent labor relations)there is no
separation bet&een o&nership and mana!ement o# the economic nit and the prodctive process. 2n
#amil% nits, non*remnerated &or$ prevailsD #amil% members train each other and hors emplo%ed
to complete a prodct is mana!ed solel% b% &or$ers, so lon! as the% complete the orders on time.
6oth the #act that the inhabitants o# El (lto have bilt the cit% themselves and that the% are lar!el%
sel#*emplo%ed has led to a ver% special relation bet&een the people and their environment)the% are
a&are that the% have done ever%thin! themselves, resltin! in a #eelin! o# belon!in! and hi!h sel#*
esteem.
Organiation for Survival and !esistance
"he ato*constrction o# the cit% and !eneration o# sel#*emplo%ment &old not have been possible
&ithot a solid or!ani.ational base, nei!hborhood b% nei!hborhood, street b% street, mar$et b%
mar$et. @ei!hborhood concils have e'isted since 1?5:, in spite o# the >EHIJE9s more recent
inception in 1?:?. (nd >EHIJE is not the onl% or!ani.ation in El (lto. Kothers9 and %oth
or!ani.ations, cltral associations, mi!rant centers #rom di##erent re!ions, relocated &or$ers9
associations, parents edcational associations, and the Re!ional 3or$ers Center ACOR, #or its
initials in SpanishB all coe'ist en El (lto.
Lrin! the :0s, labor #ederations &ere created #or merchants and artisans, 7&ho, nli$e bsiness
emplo%ees, have a stron! territorial &or$er identit%.8 "hs emer!ed trade nions and or!ani.ations
o# artisans and vendors, ba$ers and btchers, &ho in 1?;; created the COR, no& 0oined b% local
bars, !esthoses, and mnicipal emplo%ees. "hese !rops are mostl% made p o# small bsinesses
o&ners and sel#*emplo%ed &or$ers, a social sector that in other contries is not sall% or!ani.ed.
>rom the start, the COR coordinated its actions &ith >EHIJE)the t&o bein! the most in#lential
#orces in the cit%)pla%in! a critical role in the #ondin! o# the -blic Iniversit% o# El (lto AI-E(B
in 2001, and participatin! in the prisin!s o# September*October 2001 and Ka%*Hne o# 2005 that
bro!ht do&n -residents 4on.alo S5nche. de ,o.ada and Carlos Kesa.
( closer loo$ at the nei!hborhood concils reveals a t%pe o# commnit% or!ani.ation that in man%
&a%s re#lects the traditional or!ani.ational patterns o# rral (%mara and Eecha commnities. 2n
El (lto the poplation reprodced a modi#ied version o# the ancestral (ndean commnit%. 2n recent
stdies, (%mara sociolo!ist >eli' -at.i as$ed a #ndamental =estion/ 73h% do people obe% the
or!ani.ations &hen the% don9t have toM8 -at.i &as re#errin! to the &a% in &hich the nei!hborhood
concils and mar$et labor nions re=ire their members to participate in the protests, assemblies,
and actions the% carr% ot. "o do this, the% create #ilin! cards as a &a% o# $eepin! trac$ o# each
#amil%9s participation. "he ans&er to this =estion, accordin! to -at.i, is that the obli!ator% natre
o# compl%in! #orms part o# commnal cltre. 2n the case o# rral commnities, it is de to the #act
that small sbsistence #armers are not lando&ners bt onl% have se o# the land)and i# the% do not
compl% the% can lose access to their onl% sorce o# srvival.
-at.i identi#ies three elements in commnit% li#e in El (lto/ the mar$et, land, and edcation. "hese
are the basis o# the validit% o# the commnal strctre. 2n his opinion, a commnit% is characteri.ed
b% the e'istence o# collective propert% and private possession o# !oods. 2n rral commnities, the
7!ood8 is land, bt in El (lto it is more comple'. 2n trade, 7the mar$et stalls are not private
propert%, bt rather, are mana!ed b% the s%ndicate, the so*called nions, &hich is to sa% that the
o&nership is collective. "he people obe% the nion becase i# the% cannot sell or trade, the% cannot
srvive.8 3ith re!ard to land, 7decisions abot access to &ater, electricit%, propane, and other
services are not individal. 2# %o do not compl% &ith the decisions o# the concil %or street &ill
not have side&al$s or &ater or electricit%, becase the cooperatives created #or services are
collective actions that have #illed the state de#icit.8 ,ast, the parents9 committees control children9s
access to edcation, so participation in assemblies and actions is critical to the #tre o# their
children. "his set o# characteristics is &hat -at.i calls 7obli!atoriness,8 Aobli!atoriedadB. 2t does not
consist o# imposed obli!ations, bt rather, consensal obli!ations, accepted b% a poplation that
#eels rban commnit% is a sort o# natral e'tension o# rral commnit% and has developed #orms o#
or!ani.ation to assre srvival in a hostile environment.
"he nei!hborhood concil calls monthl% or semi*monthl% assemblies to discss nei!hborhood
isses. (ttendance #rom one member o# each #amil% or hosehold is e'pected. "he concils are
or!ani.ed b% !eo!raphical .ones and to be reco!ni.ed b% the >EHIJE the% mst have a minimm
o# 200 members. "he% are part o# 7a process o# social sel#*or!ani.ation o# rban .ones to debate
and attempt to resolve the basic rban needs Apotable &ater, electricit%, se&a!e, attention to health,
edcation, par$s, etc.B o# the nei!hborhood poplation.8
"hose &ho see$ to lead the nei!hborhood concil mst meet several re=irements/ a minimm o#
t&o %ears residenc% in the .one, not be a real estate speclator, merchant, transportation &or$er,
ba$er, or leader o# a political part%D he or she cannot be a 7traitor,8 nor have collded &ith dictators.
-ablo Kamani, (%mara director o# the Lepartment o# Sociolo!% at the I-E(, maintains that the
nei!hborhood concils 7have a characteristic similar to rral commnities o# the (ndean &orld, #or
their strctre, lo!ic, territorialit%, and s%stem o# or!ani.ation.8 Even tho!h each #amil% o&ns their
o&n place o# residence, there are commnal spaces sch as pla.as, soccer #ields, and schools. 72n
order to b% or sell a lot or hose, the #amil% mst appear be#ore the nei!hborhood concil to
determine &hether there are pendin! debts or some other #actor that &old prevent the transaction.8
2n addition, the nei!hborhood concil 7is the place to introdce the ne& nei!hbor &ho o##ers beer in
order to be received and accepted.8
(ltho!h participation in a nei!hborhood concil is volntar%, 7those &ho do not attend receive
social sanctions b% &a% o# rmors claimin! the nei!hbor does not respect the nei!hborhood or the
concil.8 "o avoid this ne!ative ima!e, practicall% all the inhabitants participate in the monthl%
assemblies. "hose &ho do not attend marches, actions, bloc$a!es, or the assemblies receive a #ine,
&hich tends to serve as a s%mbolic pnishment. Koreover, the nei!hborhood concil ma$es a habit
o# intervenin! in con#licts and =arrels bet&een nei!hbors, and in ver% serios cases, &ill
administer 0stice &ith sanctions li$e commnit% service, &hich ta$es it mch #rther than a
traditional association and li$ens it more to a!ricltral commnities. "he nei!hborhood concils
are the spinal colmn o# the social movement in El (lto and provide insi!hts into the po&er o# the
movement.
"or#s of Action of the $r%an Co##unity
"he nei!hborhood concils are a #orm o# hori.ontal or!ani.ation o# the 7nei!hborhood commnit%.8
"o!ether the% ma$e p e'tensive net&or$s on the nei!hborhood and district scale that act &ithot
intermediaries, a #eatre onl% be!innin! to appear on the lar!er scale o# >EHIJE. (t the level o# the
>EHIJE, the commnal cltre dissolves and !ives &a% to the 7other8 cltre)the mesti.o*&hite
cltre, accordin! to anthropolo!ist Silvia Rivera Csican=i, characteri.ed b% clientelism,
nationalism, and colonialism. 6t it is precisel% the e'perience o# a hori.ontal strctre 7that
sccess#ll% intensi#ied drin! the periods o# civil prisin! in October o# 2001.8
"he #orm o# mobili.ation and action o# the base commnities sheds li!ht on &hat this social
strctre is and &hat it means. "o anal%.e this re=ires ta$in! a close loo$ at the micro*strctres o#
nei!hborhood mobili.ation, since it is drin! mobili.ation &hen their po&er is deplo%ed and the
aspects normall% hidden or sbmer!ed in ever%da% li#e become visible. 2n !eneral, testimonies and
anal%sis a!ree that drin! the rebellion the people &ent be%ond their leaders and the or!ani.ations
themselves, to the point that several medim*level leaders e'plained 7&e &ere bond b% or
constitencies.8 2t &as implicit pressre #rom belo&, and as sch is ncontainable &hen nleashed.
Ro'ana Sei0as, director o# >EHIJE, indicates somethin! srprisin! abot the relationship bet&een
the base commnities and their leaders/ 7+ere at the head and its srrondin!s, the% re#er to s
leaders as the st##in!.8 "hat is to sa% that the leaders are sper#icial, decoration on the ca$e, bt the
people e'pect them to &or$ hard. +er testimon% demonstrates t&o $e% aspects o# commnal
cltre/ bein! a leader is not a privile!e, bt a service that is never independent o# its base, and, and
since leaders are 7st##in!,8 the% can be chan!ed #or others &ithot casin! the or!ani.ation to #ail,
and &ithot prodcin! trama or chan!es in direction o# the or!ani.ation.
"hat is ho& the rebellion 7too$ o## &ithot an or!ani.er or leader, and &as e'ected directl% b% the
inhabitants o# the nei!hborhoods and streetsD8 the nei!hborhood concils 7&ere not or!ani.in!
strctres o# the mobili.ation, bt rather, strctres o# territorial identit% &ithin &hich other $inds
o# lo%alties, or!ani.ational net&or$s, solidarities, and initiatives &ere deplo%ed atonomosl% over
and above)and in some cases, completel% independentl% o#)the nei!hborhood concil.8 2n man%
cases, the nei!hborhood concil &as merel% invo$ed in a s%mbolic manner #or marches and &al$s
initiated, in realit%, b% #le'ible territorial !rassroots net&or$s that &ere created drin! the actal
events, and became 7command, deliberation, and decisionma$in! strctres.8
Somethin! li$e this can onl% happen i# there alread% e'ists, in dail% li#e, the habit o# sel#*
or!ani.ation. "hese net&or$s &ere shaped as mobili.ation committees, Committees #or the Le#ense
o# @atral 4as, or, on occasion, committees that do not ta$e #orm thro!h their name, bt rather, are
simpl% the natral manner in &hich inhabitants come to!ether to resolve ever%da% problems, and at
certain moments ta$e on the sel#*de#ense o# the commnit%.
"he assemblies pla%ed a decisive role. 6ildin! on their ample assembl% e'perience #rom
nei!hborhood concils, the inhabitants o# the nei!hborhoods came to!ether in in#ormal bt massive
assemblies that became places #or meetin! and deliberation, social le!itimi.ation and le!ali.ation o#
the movement, and a center #or e'chan!in! in#ormation. ,ocal radio stations, #or their part,
stren!thened commnication on the !rassroots level and provided massive cohesion, in particlar
the Erbol ARadio Edcation o# 6oliviaB net&or$, lin$ed to the Catholic Chrch.
"he ancestral s%stem o# shi#ts that ori!inated in rral commnities enabled commnities to $eep the
protestors #ed, and maintain road bloc$a!es and near*constant street actions. "he s%stem o# rotation,
or shi#ts, is sed #or all collective actions, #rom representation to road bloc$s, and it consists o#
rotatin! b% district or .one, commnit%, and #amil%. 3hile some members are directl% participatin!,
others rest and attend to their dail% lives. >or e'ample, in one .one &here 100 inhabitants
participate in a road bloc$, hal# do a shi#t #rom C/00 in the mornin! to 1/00 in the a#ternoon and the
other hal# does it #rom 1/00 in the a#ternoon till 12/00 at ni!htD a#ter that, the vi!il is volntar%. 2n
this &a%, ever%one participates and &hile some are #ormin! a bloc$ade or protestin!, others ma$e
#ood, and prepare to participate in their shi#t. 2n addition, the rotation allo&s those hndred people
to not have to participate ever% da%, bt rather be relieved b% other commnities or .ones or !rops
o# #amilies. 2n this &a%, each person can directl% participate in the street ever% #e& da%s, or &ee$s
even, allo&in! the social action to be maintained inde#initel%, ths &earin! do&n the State and
repressive apparats. 2n some mobili.ations, li$e the one that too$ place in September o# 2000, hal#
a million (%maras participated thro!h rotation Aot o# a total o# 1.5 million &ho live in 6oliviaB,
&hich reveals that practicall% all o# the poplation &as involved in some &a% or another thro!h
this #orm o# non*hierarchical division o# labor.
&nsurrections'Deploy#ent fro# (elow
2n the ?0s, drin! the pea$ o# neoliberalism, important chan!es too$ place in El (lto. (s the above*
mentioned social movements !re& stron!er, a notable chan!e occrred in the political scene. 2n the
1?;? elections, a ne& part%, Conscience o# the @ation ACO@LE-(, b% its Spanish initialsB obtained
C5G o# the votes, srprisin!l% shntin! the traditional parties AK@R, K2R, (L@B to mar!inal
positions. "his onl% happened in El (lto and ,a -a., ths revealin! the sharp di##erence in the
political behavior o# the (%mara people, &ho had #aith#ll% spported CO@LE-( #or almost a
decade.
CO@LE-( &as #ormed b% the poplar sin!er and commentator Carlos -alen=e, &hose media
otlets)Ketropolitan Radio and Channel F, to!ether #ormin! the -oplar Radio*"elevision S%stem)
&ere closed in 1?;; b% the K@R !overnment. -alen=e and CO@LE-( &ere re0ected b% the elite
&hite and mesti.o middle classes, &ho denonced them as 7panderin! to the people8 and
7sensationalist.8 @evertheless, CO@LE-( &as the e'pression o# the (%mara poor o# both cities, the
sectors mar!inali.ed and scorned b% the elite. 72t &as a part% that not onl% e'pressed bt also
de#ended (ndean reciprocit% and cltre,8 !eneratin! citi.en lo%alties increased b% -alen=e9s
access to the media, &hich he sed to denonce 7the n0st prevailin! order in the name o# those
e'clded #rom the economic, social, political, and cltral arena.8
CO@LE-( eventall% #ell into the same !ame o# corrption and clientelism it had denonced and
cold not recperate #rom the death o# its leader in 1??:, s##erin! a leadership crisis that led to its
political death in the 2002 elections. @onetheless, it pla%ed an important role in the development o#
the sel#*esteem o# poplar (%mara sectors. CO@LE-( emer!ed &hen the rban (%mara poor &ere
in the #ll*blo&n process o# sel#*a##irmation, a process that cold not have been carried ot thro!h
the established parties)on the ri!ht or le#t)bt rather, b% sin! an 7otsider8 &hom the% visali.ed
as part o# their cltral &orld. 7"he solid constittion o# the cltral identit% o# the inhabitants o# El
(lto has e'pressed itsel# in the collective vote,8 sa%s one std% on the topic, &hich reveals that in
this cit%, votin! 7obe%s #orms o# collective behavior imbed &ith cltral si!ni#icance.8
"he crisis o# CO@LE-( is parallel to the rise o# the Kovement to&ard Socialism AK(SB and the
2ndi!enos Kovement -acha$ti$ AK2-B. 6oth received stron! spport in El (lto, and are the
parties best connected to these ne& social actors. 6% 2001, El (lto9s social movement, &hich had
been #eled b% the 7&ater &ar8 in Cochabamba in (pril o# 2000 and the rral (%mara mobili.ations
in September o# the same %ear, had become the principle actor in the contr%. On Karch 5, 2001,
>EHIJE bac$ed a protest that had a lar!e impact)especiall% on the ots$irts o# the cit% &here
people too$ the streets and avenes and %o cold see 7&omen sittin! in the middle o# the street
che&in! coca leaves and chattin! in (%mara and SpanishN8 &hile the main avenes 7had become a
space #or !rop assemblies &here even little bo%s and !irls participated.8
(ccordin! to Kamani, the tendenc% to or!ani.e b% bloc$s and .ones is !ro&in!, &hile drin!
bi!!er campai!ns a sort o# 7inter*nei!hborhood reni#ication &ith indi!enos characteristics8 is
prodced. "he pivotal %ear o# 2001 started &ith stron! actions. 2n ,a -a. on >ebrar% 12 and 11
armed con#rontations too$ place bet&een protestin! police and the soldiers repressin! them, $illin!
11 police o##icers and F soldiers. Kean&hile, in El (lto a cro&d attac$ed the ma%or9s o##ice and
Coca*Cola9s #acilities, sac$in! and brnin! them. 2t &as the second time the El (lto ma%or9s o##ice
&as brned b% a cro&d, in this case in#riated b% the poor mana!ement o# the K2R ma%or. Lrin!
these da%s, &hen the head=arters o# the primar% political parties AK2R, K@R, (@LB and
!overnmental o##ices &ere also set on #ire, 11 people died in ,a -a. and El (lto.
On the #irst o# September o# 2001, &hile in rral areas campesinos protested Chile9s sale o# natral
!as, in El (lto a movement be!an a!ainst the Ka%a % -a%a A7One and "&o8 in (%maraB, ta' codes
that &old have increased propert% ta'es. On the 15th and 1Cth, the cit% &as completel% sht do&n
and the poplation !athered in #ront o# the ma%or9s o##ice, bloc$in! streets in ever% nei!hborhood
and closin! the principal e'its o# the cit%. On the 1Cth, the ma%or bac$*pedaled, annllin! the ta'
codes)a resondin! trimph #or the social mobili.ation. 6t on Sept. 20, the 3arisata Kassacre
too$ place, A3arisata &as a historic (%mara a%ll, or school, located in Omas%os, near ,a$e
"iticacaB, in &hich #or indi!enos people and one soldier died.
2n a climate o# collective repdiation and indi!nation, on October 2 a 2F*hor protest sht do&n the
streets o# El (lto. (t Radio Saint 4abriel, the (%mara mana!ement)led b% >elipe Eispe, director
o# the rral prodcers9 or!ani.ation CSI"C6)carried ot a hn!er stri$e. "he cit% became 7a
strctrin! #actor #or the indi!enos people o# 6olivia,8 both in the cities and in the contr%side. On
October ;, an inde#inite stri$e &as declared in El (lto a!ainst the sale o# natral !as, called #or b%
>EHIJE, COR, and the I-E(. "he massive stri$e cold be seen in the occpation o# nei!hborhood
territories b% inhabitants, &ho bloc$ed streets and avenes, and d! deep ditches to prevent militar%
trc$s and tan$s #rom passin!. On the same da%, the militar% opened #ire, &ondin! t&o %on!
people. "he repression !re&, casin! C: deaths and F00 &ondedD the violence intensi#ied and on
Oct. 12 and 11 alone 50 people &ere $illed.
2n spite o# the militari.ation o# the cit% and the brtalit% o# the repression, the people o# El (lto
#orced S5nche. de ,o.ada9s resi!nation as president. "he% also pt a halt to the sale o# !as. 3hat
&ill happen in a contr% &here the people have lost their #ear o# tan$s, violent repression, and
massacreM (ll si!ns indicate that the #tre o# 6olivia is movin! a&a% #rom the &hite and mesti.o
elites and to&ard the (%mara, Eecha, and other indi!enos peoples and the poor.
A "uture "ull of Surprises
(#ter October 2001 came the prisin! o# Ka%*Hne o# 2005. 2t is the #i#th (%mara prisin! so #ar in
the 21st centr%. "he #irst ma0or prisin! too$ place on (pril ?, &ith its epicenter in (chacachi, o#
the Omas%os -rovince. "he second &as in September and October o# the same %ear thro!hot all
o# the @orthern -latea and the @orthern Jalle% o# the district o# ,a -a.. "he third prisin! lasted
almost t&o months and too$ place in Hne and Hl% o# 2001 &ith its epicenter also in the lar!e area
o# the @orthern -latea. "he #orth had its epicenter in El (lto, in October o# 2001. >inall%, the
Ka%*Hne prisin! also &as concentrated in El (lto. "he central demands &ere the nationali.ation
o# h%drocarbons, a call #or a national constitent assembl%, and opposition to the provincial
atonom% demanded b% the elite class o# Santa Cr..
7+ere a!ain the nei!hborhood concils and labor or!ani.ations interact as tre nei!hborhood
!overnments. Lecisions are made collectivel% and pblicl% b% &a% o# nei!hborhood assemblies.
,ittle b% little, the prisin! radiates, #irst into the nei!hborhoods, and later to other districts and
provinces,8 maintains Kamani. "his time the center &as Sen$ata, a li=id and combstible !as
stora!e plant. "here, hndreds o# men and &omen too$ shi#ts ni!ht and da% #or 1; da%s to prevent,
in the &ords o# the participants, 7not one drop o# !as8 #rom !oin! to ,a -a. and other places.
One o# the most remar$able, and at the same time hope#l, #acts is that all this !rassroots activit%
has been carried ot &ithot the e'istence o# centrali.ed, ni#ied strctres. -erhaps the #act that the
(%mara have never had a State has somethin! to do &ith it. @evertheless, the lac$ o# e'istence o#
this t%pe o# centrali.ed apparats has not minimi.ed the e##ectiveness o# the movements. 2n #act, it
cold be ar!ed that i# ni#ied, or!ani.ed strctres had e'isted, not as mch social ener!% &old
have been nleashed. "he $e% to this over&helmin! !rassroots mobili.ation is, &ithot dobt, the
basic sel#*or!ani.ation that #ills ever% pore o# the societ% and has made sper#los man% #orms o#
representation. >or the #irst time the ncles o# the indi!enos movement is located in a lar!e cit%
&here stron! rban commnities have emer!ed. "his #oretells pro#ond and s&eepin! chan!es in
the 6olivian social movement that cold ver% &ell radiate ot to&ard other poplations in other
parts o# the continent.