Jesuit Slave Labor Plagues Bolivia

The January, 1951, issue of Liberty magazine carried a revealing article on the international slave market. Regarding South America, the writer, Rose Slivka, pointed out that an estimated three million people are living under conditions of slavery. After stating that Bolivian landlords customarily manage to enslave their laborers through long-term indebtedness, the article continues: “But the plight of the agricultural laborers in the Bolivian Jesuit missions is most shocking of all. These are organized colonies based on Indian labor. They are completely self-governing and free from controls. The Indians work for the missions without pay and are hired out to private farms like animals, while the mission is paid for their labor. Those, moreover, who have been hired out to the neighboring estates are required to attend the mission house every Saturday for roll call and to attend mass every Sunday. When a recalcitrant Indian fails to comply with these measures he is severely beaten. When Indians try to escape, the missionaries immediately organize a hunt and those who are unfortunate enough to be caught are tortured. Nevertheless, fugitive guarayos, as those who run away are called, are very numerous.”