Catavi mine facts for kids
Catavi is a famous tin mine in Bolivia. It is located near the city of Llallagua in the Potosí Department. Catavi is part of a big mining area that also includes the Siglo XX mine. Besides being a mine, Catavi is also a living area, a place where ore is processed, and an office for the Corporación Minera de Bolivia (COMIBOL), which is a state-owned mining company.
Catavi's Story
The Catavi mine was bought in the 1900s by Simón Iturri Patiño. People called him the "King of Tin" because he owned so many tin mines. The mine often had problems between the workers and the management. Many workers were part of the Union Federation of Bolivian Mine Workers (FSTMB).
The mining camp kept the workers, who were mostly local people, separate from the American managers. Their homes, water, shops, transport, fun activities, and even bathrooms were all kept apart. This separation caused a lot of tension between the Bolivian workers and the foreign managers.
In December 1942, there was a big disagreement between the miners and the management. During a strike, government soldiers attacked the striking miners at Patiño's Catavi mine. This sad event is known as the Catavi Massacre.
After the "Bolivian National Revolution" in 1952, the mine was taken over by the government. The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR) and its friends had removed the military government. Catavi and other mines were then managed by a new government group called the Corporación Minera de Bolivia (COMIBOL). The Catavi-Siglo XX complex became the biggest part of COMIBOL, with about 5,000 workers.
On June 24, 1967, government soldiers, led by General René Barrientos, marched on the mine again. They caused the biggest attack on workers in Bolivia's history. This happened on St. John the Baptist's Day, a special holiday. Because of this, it is called the San Juan Massacre.
Over the next few decades, the tin in the mine started to run out. In 1987, the government closed down production at Catavi. This was part of a plan to fix the country's economy, made with help from the IMF and World Bank.
See also
In Spanish: Catavi para niños
