IN STEREO

Well, in 1986 or ‘85 – I do not remember the year – all us palliri women defended that mountain against the Conco mining company. For a while, no one could touch anything. We placed flags all over the top of the mountain, so that they could not come from anywhere. We also stayed day and night so that they didn’t carry away the [mineral] clearings or anything. We took turns: one day, we stayed; the other day, other women stayed. In those times we were on the mountain – on top of the mineral, chewing coca, walking – we suffered a lot to defend it. Many suffered. It was only women, all the women who worked on the mountain. There were no men. Eating or not eating, chewing our coca, standing strong on the mountain. Turning around, walking back the same way we came, that’s what we were doing. Because if we had not defended it that year, now there would already be no mountain.

We were careful. We made everything stop. I think the same companies are there now. They just change the name, but it’s the same. Conco has changed its name to Manquiri. I think they rested about five to ten years. Now Manquiri has come with very big proposals for the cooperatives, also for the government and the mayor. I do not know how much money they would have given to the Federation. And from there, they give it to the cooperatives, and the cooperatives have distributed it to their partners. For that reason, now they don’t want us to defend the mountain. For that reason, the mountain is now falling. Besides that, there are not as many palliris as there were in that year. There are no palliris. They have all retired. We were 1500 paliiris; now we would not even be 100. – Doña Isabel