Treasure of the World by Tara Sullivan (free ebook reader txt) 📕

GLOSSARY

agradiseyki (Quechua): thank you (borrowed from the Spanish agradecer)

allyisiami (Quechua): response to puangi/puangichi: “Fine”

Altiplano (Spanish): literally “high plain,” a plateau of land at 12,000 ft where the Andes are the widest, covering a large expanse of southeastern Peru and western Bolivia

api (Quechua): a drink made from ground purple corn, water, citrus fruit, and spices

¡Ay, Dios! (Spanish): Oh, God!

Aymara: indigenous language spoken in Bolivia. Estimates are that around 1.6 million people across South America speak Aymara today. Also used to refer to the ethnic group whose primary language is Aymara.

Casa de la Moneda (Spanish): literally, “house of coin.” Name of the mint in Potosí where the silver of the mountain was turned into ingots and money.

Cerro Rico (Spanish): Rich Hill

cholita (regionalism): historically a derogatory term for indigenous women in Bolivia. Today, women have taken over the term and claimed it as a source of cultural pride. The “look” of a cholita is standard: many layered, colorful skirts, a long shawl, flat shoes, a bowler hat, and braids. Pride in this term has come about in parallel with grassroots indigenous movements; discrimination against women who choose to wear cultural dress is lower today than in the past.

chuño (regionalism): a Bolivian staple: small potatoes that have been freeze-dried and thawed multiple times to extend their shelf life. Cooked into stews and soups.

cielo (Spanish): sky; heaven

coca: leaf of the coca plant. (No relationship to cocoa/cacao, an entirely different plant, which is used to make chocolate.) Coca leaves are chewed by indigenous people throughout the Andes. Though the plant is the raw material that is used to produce the addictive drug cocaine, in its natural form it is only a mild stimulant and appetite suppressant. In Bolivia, it is cheaper than food, and many poor families use it to make it through the day on only one meal. Coca is also a deeply important part of indigenous culture and is used both in religious rituals and traditional healing.

dinamita (Spanish): dynamite

Don (Spanish): term of respect for a man, similar to “Mr.”

Doña (Spanish): term of respect for a woman, similar to “Mrs.”

guarda (Spanish): someone who guards the mines overnight to prevent robbery; usually women or girls

Huyana Capac (1464/1468–1524): eleventh emperor of the Incan empire

Inca: indigenous people of the Andes

manta (Spanish): large square of woven wool cloth that can be used as a shawl or poncho or folded to make a sling for carrying babies or a pouch for carrying goods.

mi hija (Spanish): my daughter

mi hijo (Spanish): my son

mineral (Spanish): literally, mineral. Used colloquially by the people on the Cerro Rico to refer to the various metals and ores that have a market value, such as tin, zinc, and aluminum.

Pachamama (Quechua): Mother Earth

Padre (Spanish): literally, father. Term of address for a Catholic priest.

Palliri (regionalism): Used on the Cerro Rico to refer to a woman whose job it is to break open refuse rocks from the mines by hand, looking for trace amounts of leftover metal.

posada (Spanish): inn

Potoc’xi: “a thunderous noise.” Though this is part of a myth about the origin of the name “Potosí,” it does not fit the phonology of Quechua, the language spoken by the Inca. Possibly Aymara in origin.

puangi (Quechua): hello (to one person); literally: an abbreviation for “How was the dawn for you?”

puangichi (Quechua): hello (to more than one person)

Quechua: indigenous language spoken by the Inca and by their descendants. Estimates are that eight to ten million people across South America speak Quechua today. Also occasionally used to refer to the ethnic group whose primary language is Quechua.

El Rosario (Spanish): literally, “the rosary,” Catholic prayer beads and the sequence of prayers that are said on them. Many mines are named for religious figures.

salteña (Spanish): a baked, meat-filled pastry; empanada

Saqsayhuamán: Incan fortress near Cusco, Peru, capital of the Incan empire

silicosis: a lung disease caused by breathing in dust that contains the mineral silica. Over time, it builds up in the lungs, scarring them and making it more and more difficult to breathe. Left untreated, it leads to death.

sorroche (regionalism): sickness caused by the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Symptoms can include nausea, exhaustion, weakness, dizziness, insomnia, pins and needles, shortness of breath, headache.

Sumaj Orcko (Quechua): Beautiful Hill

Tío (Spanish): literally, uncle. Used by the miners of the Cerro Rico to refer to the statues of the devil guarding the mine shafts.

La Verde (Spanish): slang term for the Bolivian national football team, one of the ten members of FIFA’s South American Football Confederation.

yachac (Quechua): term for a shamanistic healer in Ecuador and Bolivia

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Getting any book from idea to publication is a tremendous undertaking, and this book required more assistance than many to make it there. A huge thank-you to everyone who has supported me personally over the past five years or has helped this book in a creative or technical capacity.

To my dad, to whom this book is dedicated, and who left his heart on the altiplano years ago. For traveling with me, opening doors where I didn’t even know to look for handles, and for being willing to wait over five years for “his” book to be ready.

To my family, for supporting me as I dug deep to find the treasure in this book. Most especially, to Nick, for ceaselessly supporting me, including solo parenting a feverish four-year-old and two boisterous boys for the two weeks I was in another hemisphere. You have never once doubted me in this crazy thing that I do, though I often doubt myself. Thank you for loving me and being my solid rock every step of the way.

To my amazing writer friends and those who supported this book on its bumpy road to publication. First and foremost, my amazing critique group: Annie Gaughen, Annie Cardi, Katie