Great-grandfather Francisco’s royal blue card


Without doubt, certain individuals are occasionally born foreordained to imprint their own mark onto the world


La Calle Ravelo Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia
Ravelo Street           Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia

Indisputably, Francisco Algodoña, my illustrious forefather, was a singular character. Having received the obligated kiss of forgetfulness, he then descended to fulfill his destiny, with his blue card, firmly tied to his toe. In his case, this notorious card was surely presented in the form of a thick notebook, or more probably an impressively heavy book, as thick as a brick (in which case, he was certainly endowed with an equally thick toe on his right foot to support the weight of it).

La subida de la calle Grau Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia
The climb on Grau Street          Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia

In the first volume (for it surely was formed by a series of massive books), his delivery to the Algodoña Revilla family, in the mining city of Potosí, was clearly stipulated. This is a well-known fact, even though certain individuals belonging to Sucre City, like to pretend or to believe, he was born in this latter City of Eternal Spring.

Caminando la calle Nicolas Ortiz Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia
Walking the Nicolas Ortiz  Street          Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia

Great-grandfather went to Valparaíso, Chile as a young man. He enrolled in the University to pursue his studies in mineralogy. Graduating with honours, he returned to Potosí to work at the Huanchaca Mining Co. At the moment in which he joined this mining concern, it had already been postulated as the most important in the region. With his income, my celebrated ancestor, sagaciously dedicated himself to buying up the stock of the aforementioned corporation, where he worked.

In this fashion, he eventually became the majority owner of the company’s stock. He achieved his financial independence when by fate’s vagaries, carefully written down in his blue card, the price of the silver reached a historical world high and with that boom the value of his stock soared to the heavens. Personally, I strongly suspect that was the reason for my mother’s constant pointing to the sky with her classic, accusing avenger’s finger.

Vista de la ciudad Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia
View of the city          Sucre, Chuquisaca, Bolivia

 

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   ©  All photos by edudelcorral


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