Bolivian workers have crossed the Andes and participated in the nitrate-mining projects from the beginning of the cycle of expansion of that industry in the 19th century until its definitive ending with the crisis of 1930. Along with the arrival of these workers in the towns and camps of Tarapacá and Antofagasta, came a variety of goods that formed an essential part of their diet, including coca leaves. Although the consumption of this product is associated with high-altitude mining and underground mining, this article studies the importance it had in desert and open-pit mining. It also analyzes the commerce of coca in the local stores known as pulperías, and the opinion of public officials regarding the social and labor impact of this cross-border leaf. A historiographical study was done of press archives and official documents located in Chile and Bolivia, to contrast the hypotheses on the subject, leading to conclude that the consumption of coca was generalized among workers of almost all types in the nitrate-mining industry. With respect to nationalities, the consumption of coca was not limited exclusively to Bolivians, but was common among Peruvian and Chilean workers as well. © 2016, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota Colombia. all right reserved.

Consumption (thesaurus) Coca leaf Cross-border circuits (author’s keywords) Nitrate-mining industry Chile

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