The hidden history of Afro-Bolivians: From slavery in silver mines to fighting for power

"Cerro Rico once produced up to 80% of the silver of the Viceroyalty of Peru (1542-1824) and as much as 60% of global production during certain periods of the 17th and 18th centuries. But Indigenous labor was insufficient to extract the thousands of tons of ore flowing from the mountain. And so, the Spanish Crown's solution was to bring enslaved Africans to the territory, using the transatlantic system that had been established by the Portuguese years earlier."

"A series of 17th-century public records, recently included by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Programme, document the inhumane conditions that these forced migrants were subjected to. These conditions included working in metal-smelting furnaces that operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week; being placed in shackles and stocks, which were used by slaveowners to restrict movement; sleeping in pallets lined with sheepskin that served as beds; and covering themselves with numerous blankets to mitigate the frigid Andean climate."

"The series, which consists of 27 manuscripts, is entitled Public deeds about the African slavery trade between Buenos Aires and the Villa Imperial of Potosi (1635–1636). The documents are preserved in the former National Mint of Bolivia, in Potosi, which is now a museum. The mint was the institution that converted the silver produced during the colonial period into circulating currency."

Cerro Rico near Potosí, Bolivia produced up to 80% of the Viceroyalty of Peru's silver and 60% of global production during the 17th-18th centuries. Indigenous labor proved insufficient for extraction, prompting Spanish colonizers to import enslaved Africans, particularly from Angola, Congo, and Guinea. By 1630, approximately 5,000 Black people lived in Potosí. Recently UNESCO-recognized documents from 1635-1636 detail the severe conditions: 24/7 metal-smelting work, shackles and stocks, minimal bedding, and exposure to frigid Andean temperatures above 13,000 feet. These 27 manuscripts, preserved in Bolivia's former National Mint, now a museum, provide primary sources for multidisciplinary historical analysis of colonial slavery and trade.

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