cocalero
Sign in to savethumb|Coca leafCocaleros () are the coca leaf growers of Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. In response to U.S.-funded attempts to eradicate and fumigate coca crops in the Chapare region of Bolivia, cocaleros joined with other grassroots indigenous organizations in the country, such as unionized mine workers and peasants to contest the government. Evo Morales, who became president of Bolivia in 2006, was a leader in the national cocalero movement.
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- Women gathering leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca) Wellcome V0043210.jpg
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5 sectionsContents
- Coca and the war on drugs
- Indigenous organizing in Bolivia
- Cocaleros and the MAS Party
- References
- External links
thumb|Coca leafCocaleros () are the coca leaf growers of Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. In response to U.S.-funded attempts to eradicate and fumigate coca crops in the Chapare region of Bolivia, cocaleros joined with other grassroots indigenous organizations in the country, such as unionized mine workers and peasants to contest the government. Evo Morales, who became president of Bolivia in 2006, was a leader in the national cocalero movement.
==Coca and the war on drugs== Coca has been cultivated for 8,000 years by indigenous people in the Andes for medicinal and religious reasons. As a stimulant, it is helpful in overcoming altitude sickness in the high Andes, and can be chewed and made into tea. Other medicinal uses include pain relief, staunching blood flow, combating malaria, ulcers, asthma and improving digestion. It is also configured in many religious ceremonies as offerings to Apus, Inti, and the Pachamama and as a method of divination.