A Hidden Gem

I read a really interesting feature article by Lawrence Wright on Bolivia that discussed the country's history and culture, the current president Evo Morales (who is a socialist and the first indigenous president of Bolivia), and the country's natural resources (and the country's recent attempt to develop and nationalize their lithium deposits). I know you probably think I'm a nerd for saying that's interesting. Yes, I am a nerd. But, regardless, it is an interesting article.

Anyway, buried deep in the article was this gem:

Bolivia's coastal territories were lost in 1879, when Chile, spurred on by British investors, invaded the country to claim the Atacama Desert's rich deposits of guano (for fertilizer) and saltpeter (for explosives). The resulting War of the Pacific was just one of the five unfortunate wars that Bolivia has fought with its neighbors, which, cumulatively, have reduced its territory by half. The loss to Chile lingers most bitterly in the minds of Bolivia's citizens. There is still a Bolivian Navy, which patrols inland waterways [sad...]. Near the naval headquarters, on Lake Titicaca [definitely my most favorite lake name], is a statue of a fallen hero from the War of the Pacific, inscribed with the hollow boast known to every Bolivian schoolchild: "Surrender? Your grandmother surrenders, Damn it!"