“Kukhona Isiliva EPotosí!”
NGUMLOBELIWE -PHAPHAMA! EBOLIVIA
Kwakungonyaka ka-1545, eminyakeni engu-12 nje ngemva kokuba uFrancisco Pizarro enqobe uMbuso Wama-Inca omkhulu. AbaseSpain bathola umNdiya osemusha ngesinyenyela ekhipha itshe-nsimbi elinesiliva endaweni eyayingaziwa muntu eziNtabeni zase-Andes zezwe manje eliyiBolivia. Lendawo yayibizwa ngokuthi iPotosí. Ngokungazelele, kwahlatshwa umkhosi: “Kukhona isiliva ePotosí!” Nakuba kwakusondela ubusika, abantu baphuthuma beyozifunela amalungelo endawo lapho. Leli litshe-nsimbi lalicebe kakhulu—linamaphesenti angu-50 esiliva loqobo! Phakathi nezinyanga ezingu-18 kwase kunabantu abangu-14 000 ababehlala ePotosí.
LELI litshe-nsimbi laliseceleni kwentaba ephakeme ngamamitha angu-4688 ngaphezu kogu lolwandle. Kwakuyindawo eyomile, cishe engenalo uhlaza, futhi ephakeme kunezihlahla. Leli litshe-nsimbi elicebe kakhulu lancibilikiswa kohhavini abaphathekayo ababesebenza ngomoya ukuze amalahle abe sezingeni lokushisa elifanele. Owayelandisa ngaleso sikhathi wachaza ukuthi wabona kusebenza ohhavini abangu-15 000 ngasikhathi sinye. Ebusuku babefana nomthala wezinkanyezi.
Idolobhana elingaphansi kwentaba lakhiwa ngokuphamazela laba nemigwaqo ewumngcingo, emazombezombe ukuze ivimbele umoya oshubisa umnkantsha. Isazi-mlando uR. C. Padden sabhala: “Kwakungekho kuhlela noma imithetho, ngokuyinhloko ngenxa yokuthi kwakucatshangwa ukuthi leli siliva lalizosheshe liphele.” Kodwa lathatha isikhathi eside. Lentaba, ebizwa ngokuthi iCerro Rico (iNtaba Ecebile), kwatholakala ukuthi iqukethe isiliva eliningi kakhulu kunelake latholakala ngaphambili.
Ubugqila
AbaseSpain bakhuthazelela izimo ezinzima kakhulu ngenxa yokunxanela kwabo isiliva. Ngokuvamile, kwakungenakudla, amanzi ayengcolile, futhi izimayini zaziyingozi. Isimo sezulu esibandayo sasiyinkinga engathi sína. Labo ababezama ukuzifudumeza ngamalahle ngezinye izikhathi babengenwa ubuthi be-carbon monoxide.
Ngokushesha abaseSpain bathola indlela yokunciphisa ukukhathazeka kwabo. Njengabanqobi, baphoqelela amaNdiya endabuko ukuba abe izigqila. I-Bolivian Times yaseLa Paz yathi: “Kuthiwa kwabhubha izigqila ezingamaNdiya eziyizigidi eziyisishiyagalombili” ezimayini zasePotosí phakathi nenkathi yokwakhiwa kwamakoloni. Unya, ukugqilazwa ngomsebenzi, nezifo kwabangela ukufa kwabantu okuhlasimulisa umzimba. Yingakho othile owayelandisa ngo-1550 abiza iPotosí ngokuthi “umlomo wesihogo”!
IBabiloni
Ngo-1572, iPotosí yase inkulu kunanoma iliphi idolobha eSpain. Ngo-1611, kwathiwa inezakhamuzi ezingu-160 000 futhi ilingana neParis neLondon. Futhi yayingelinye lamadolobha acebe kakhulu emhlabeni. Kwakuyimfashini ukugqoka ingubo kasilika enemichilo yegolide nesiliva. Kwakubonakala sengathi wawungathenga noma yini kanokusho uma unemali: usilika waseChina, izigqoko zaseNgilandi, amasokisi aseNaples, namakha ase-Arabia. Izakhamuzi zazihlobisa amakhaya azo ngokhaphethi basePersia, ifenisha yaseFlanders, imidwebo yase-Italy, nengilazi yaseVenice.
Kodwa iPotosí yayinobudlova obungangengcebo yakhona. Izimpi zokuchitha igazi zaziyindlela yokuphila ezikhungweni zokuthengisa. Kwakugcwele izikhungo zokugembula nezindawo zezifebe. IPotosí yaziwa ngokuthi iBabiloni.
Enye yezinhloso eziyinhloko zabanqobi baseSpain kwakuwukumisa inkolo yabo yobuKatolika emazweni aseMelika. Nokho, laba bantu ababethi bangamaKristu babekuthethelela kanjani ukuzuza kwabo ingcebo ngobugqila? Nakuba abanye abefundisi bamelana ngesibindi nalokhu kungabi nabulungisa, abanye bavuna ubugqila ngokuthi ukucindezela kwabaseSpain kwakungcono kunokucindezela kwama-Inca. Bathi amaNdiya ayengelutho futhi ayethambekele ebubini ngokwemvelo—yingakho kwakungcono ukuba asebenze ezimayini. Nokho abanye babethi ukufaka amaNdiya emsebenzini wasezimayini kwakuyisinyathelo esidingekile ukuze enziwe amaKatolika.
Nokho, umlando ubonisa ukuthi abefundisi babephakathi kwabantu abacebe kakhulu ePotosí. Isazi-mlando uMariano Baptista sithi: “ISonto njengenhlangano, kanye nabameleli balo ngabanye, babakha ingxenye evelele yesigungu sokucindezela” amaNdiya. Lesi sazi-mlando sicaphuna umbusi othile owakhononda ngo-1591 ngokuthi abefundisi “bamunca igazi lamaNdiya ngokuhaha nangentshiseko enkulu kunabantu abavamile.”
Ukusaphaza Umnotho
ISpain yayiyizwe elimpofu, kodwa emashumini ambalwa eminyaka, ingcebo yakhona yayenza umbuso omkhulu kunayo yonke emhlabeni. Kodwa leso sikhundla asihlalanga isikhathi eside. Iphawula ngokuthi kungani ingcebo yaseSpain ingazange iyinikeze izinzuzo ezihlala njalo, incwadi ethi Imperial Spain—1469-1716, kaJ. H. Elliott, ithi: “Izimayini zasePotosí zalethela lelizwe ingcebo enkulu; uma kwakuntuleka imali namuhla, ngakusasa yayiba izindodla futhi lapho imikhumbi yomnotho ifika eSeville. Kungani uhlela, kungani ulondoloza, futhi kungani usebenza?”
Umnotho wePotosí wasaphazwa; phakathi nalenkathi abasebukhosini babephelelwa imali. Ngokwesisho sangaleso sikhathi, ukufika kwemikhumbi yomnotho kwakunjengezimvula ezincane zasehlobo ezimanzisa uphahla okwesikhashana bese zihwamuka. Ngokufanelekile, ingqapheli ethile yekhulu le-17 yathi ngokuwa kweSpain: “Ayicebile, ngenxa [yokusaphaza] yonke ingcebo yayo.”
Phakathi nekhulu le-18, iPotosí yawa njengoba isiliva laliphela, kodwa-ke yasimama njengoba ithini (tin) lalizuza ukubaluleka. Manje, ithini alisavelele, nakuba iPotosí iseyisikhungo sezimboni zokwakha izinto nezimayini. Kodwa izivakashi eziningi ziya ePotosí ukuze ziyojabulela ubuhle bamakoloni ayo. Zingase zibone namasonto akhona ahlotshiswe ngokweqile, amaningi awo angenalutho njengobufakazi bokuncipha kwesithakazelo ebuKatolikeni.
Namuhla iPotosí iyisikhumbuzo esibi sokuhlupheka kwabantu okukhulu okwabangelwa ukuhaha, amacebo ezombangazwe, nokudideka okungokwenkolo, isikhumbuzo senkathi ephawulekayo emlandweni waseBolivia eyaqala ngesimemezelo esithi: “Kukhona isiliva ePotosí!”