Backyard Empire: The U.S. in Latin America · Episode 6 of 14 · 34 min
How the Tin Barons Bought Bolivia
Three mining families, led by Simón Patiño, controlled Bolivia's tin and much of its politics in an oligarchy Bolivians called La Rosca, the screw. In December 1942 the army fired on striking miners and their families at Catavi. The massacre became the founding wound of a militant labor movement that helped bring the 1952 revolution and the nationalization of the mines.
Who's who
- Simón PatiñoTin magnate who ran his empire from abroad
- Carlos Víctor AramayoHead of one of the three great tin houses
- Mauricio HochschildHead of one of the three great tin houses
- María BarzolaWoman killed in the 1942 massacre while carrying the national flag
- Enrique PeñarandaBolivian wartime president whose government sent the troops
- Juan LechínHistoric leader of the miners' federation
- Víctor Paz Estenssoro+2 more episodesLeader of the 1952 National Revolution
Where it happens
- Catavi-Siglo XX, BoliviaPatiño's flagship tin complex and site of the 1942 massacre
- Bolivia+2 more episodesHome of the tin barons and the 1952 revolution
Timeline
- December 21, 1942Troops fire on striking miners and families at Catavi
- 1944Miners found the FSTMB under Juan Lechín
- 1946Federation adopts the radical Pulacayo Thesis
- April 9, 1952National Revolution defeats the army
- October 1952Tin mines nationalized and COMIBOL created
Still debated
The 1942 death toll is disputed: official figures cite about 19 killed, while workers claimed up to 400. Historians also separate U.S. wartime pressure over tin from the Bolivian decision to fire, and debate COMIBOL's mixed legacy.
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