Michael: Bolivia's history

(This was written yesterday. Sorry for the late post.)
Three events stick in my mind from yesterday.
In the morning, we visited the place where Bolivia was born. Revolutionaries in South America had become inspired by the American Revolution and the French Revolution and began efforts to free the countries of South America from Spain. In 1825, the nation of Bolivia was born, but the impact of the Spaniards was already long and brutal by that time. Potosi, the city we will visit next, was founded in the mid-1500s. Shortly after it was founded, it produced as much silver each year as the rest of the world combined. For two centuries, the treasury of Spain was bankrolled by Potosi silver. Indigenous and later African slaves worked 12-hour shifts in the underground mines and stayed underground for months at a time, returning to a blinding sky.
Our guide was a short man who appeared to be about my age, but with a head full of thick, dark hair. Standing in front of a map perhaps two meters square and drawn with incredible detail in the 1700s, he explained in excellent English the history of the colonization of South American, focusing on the Inca Empire that stretched from Peru through Bolivia and into Chile and Argentina. He was surprisingly candid about the tragic history of his country. The nation had been involved in several wars – and lost them all. The nation has had far too many presidents, with 20% of them dying violent deaths. One president served 4 days before being assassinated.
The remainder of the day was pleasant, including a visit to a small market and a nice evening walk.
Patricia and I walked to Anne’s host home on our way to the evening Rotary meeting. Outside the house were perhaps 15 men, not looking too happy. When I asked Patricia what they were doing there, she said they worked for Anne’s host and were looking to be paid.
At the Rotary meeting, a woman approached me and said her nephew was eagerly trying to become an exchange student to the USA and she asked my help. I told her I would do what I could, but my guess was that finding an American who was willing to give up the typical life of American teenagery to live in Bolivia would likely be difficult. But I said if she would send me a paper describing her efforts and goals, I would do what I could.
Michael