This work examines the literary traditions of Bolivia and Peru, two countries that have been predominantly mining-focused from colonial times to the present. Martínez-Arias explores how elite intellectuals of the Long Nineteenth Century portrayed extractivism alongside their visions for a modern nation, specifically how it should be integrated into and benefit from an international market constantly hungry for the gold, silver, and other minerals of the Andean region.
Based on close readings of literary and journalistic productions, Martínez-Arias shows how pro-capitalist intellectuals of the late 19th century, such as Clorinda Matto de Turner in Peru or Modesto Omiste in Bolivia, denounced the feudal economic system of the Andes. These authors defended the victims of that system: the indigenous communities forced to work in inhumane conditions. However, by denouncing this system and promoting industrialization and capitalism, these intellectuals often concealed or omitted the equally miserable conditions of indigenous workers under the very systems they promoted as being just and offering equal opportunities.
At the dawn of the 20th century, influenced by the Russian Revolution and the adaptation of socialism to the specific reality of the Andes, major figures like César Vallejo and José Carlos Mariategui clearly denounced how indigenous peoples were victims of exploitation, illness, and death within the mining industry taking hold in the region. The book thus analyzes the critical transition of these narratives and the impact of these ideas on the configuration of modern Andean identity.
Posted May 7, 2026
