Cola-Cola In Bolivia: A Banned Beverage?

Bolivia has long had a complicated relationship with Coca-Cola. In 2012, the Bolivian government announced its intention to ban the soft drink, citing the impending end of the Mayan calendar and a desire to move away from American-style capitalism. This decision, made by the Minister of External Affairs, David Choquehuanca, encouraged citizens to consume local beverages like Mocochinchi, a peach-flavoured soft drink. The ban was notable, given that Bolivia is a significant producer of coca leaves, which are rumoured to be an ingredient in Coca-Cola's secret recipe.

Coca-Cola's use of coca leaves

Coca-Cola was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts (a source of caffeine). Coca-Cola was originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine.

The drink was invented by a Confederate Colonel John Pemberton, who was wounded in the American Civil War and had become addicted to morphine. He had a medical degree and began a quest to find a substitute for the drug. In 1885, he registered Pemberton's French Wine Coca nerve tonic, which included the African kola nut.

In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation, Pemberton created a non-alcoholic version of his tonic, which he marketed as "Coca-Cola: The temperance drink". The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886, where it initially sold for five cents a glass. Drugstore soda fountains were popular in the United States at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was good for health. Pemberton's new drink was marketed and sold as a patent medicine, with Pemberton claiming it was a cure for many diseases, including morphine addiction, indigestion, nerve disorders, headaches, and impotence.

In 1888, three versions of Coca-Cola – sold by three separate businesses – were on the market. By this time, Pemberton had sold the ownership rights to businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its dominance of the global soft-drink market throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

In 1891, Candler claimed his formula (altered extensively from Pemberton's original) contained only one-tenth of the original amount of coca leaves. Coca-Cola once contained an estimated nine milligrams of cocaine per glass. In 1903, the fresh coca leaves were removed from the formula. After 1904, instead of using fresh leaves, Coca-Cola started using "spent" leaves – the leftovers of the cocaine-extraction process with trace levels of cocaine. Since then (by 1929), Coca-Cola has used a cocaine-free coca leaf extract.

Today, that extract is prepared at a Stepan Company plant in Maywood, New Jersey, the only manufacturing plant authorized by the federal government to import and process coca leaves, which it obtains from Peru and Bolivia. Stepan Company extracts the cocaine from the coca leaves, which it then sells to Mallinckrodt, the only company in the United States licensed to purify cocaine for medicinal use. Coca-Cola is one of the only companies in the USA that's allowed to import the leaves, which were used as a painkiller and traditional medicine for millennia in the Andes mountains. Although there was indeed cocaine in the original Coca-Cola recipe, in the current incarnation, coca is used only as a flavor extract.

Bolivia's support for local products

Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America, with a population of around 12 million. It is a multiethnic state with a diverse range of cultures and ethnicities, including Amerindians, Mestizos, Europeans, Asians, Africans, and Arabs. The country is divided into nine departments, with Santa Cruz de la Sierra being the largest city and principal industrial centre. Bolivia has a rich cultural heritage influenced by Spanish, Aymara, Quechua, and Latin American traditions.

Bolivian cuisine is known for its variety, with many traditional dishes that have been passed down through generations. The country's diverse geography and abundance of natural resources contribute to the regionality of its cuisine, with ingredients such as quinoa, rice, potatoes, and llama or alpaca meat commonly used in the Andes, while yucca, plantains, and beef are more prevalent in the lowlands and tropical regions. Anticuchos, grilled skewered beef or chicken hearts, and salteñas, baked empanadas filled with meat and a sweet and spicy sauce, are popular dishes in Bolivia. The country also has a range of unique beverages, such as mocochinchi, a soft drink made from dried peach juice, and singani.

Bolivia has a strong agricultural sector, which has grown exponentially in recent years, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is a major exporter of raw mining materials, natural gas, and hydrocarbons. However, it also faces challenges such as illegal and unsustainable mining practices, particularly in the gold sector. The Bolivian government has recognised the need for new technologies and products to modernise the industry and raise industry standards.

In terms of supporting local products, Bolivia has implemented policies to promote and protect its indigenous communities and their way of life. The 2009 constitution, for example, changed the country's official name to the "Plurinational State of Bolivia" to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of the country and strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples. Additionally, the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, passed in 2013, accords nature the same rights as humans, demonstrating the country's commitment to environmental protection and the value it places on its natural resources.

Overall, Bolivia has a diverse range of local products and a strong agricultural sector that contributes significantly to its economy. The country has taken steps to support and promote its local industries, including through constitutional changes and investment in new technologies. However, it also faces challenges, such as illegal mining practices, that need to be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of its local industries.

The Mayan calendar's end date

The Mayan calendar, also known as the Long Count calendar, is distinct from the calendar used by the Mexica (more commonly known as the Aztecs). The Long Count calendar is a linear system of timekeeping that measures roughly in units of 20. For example, 20 days made a uinal, 18 uinals (360 days) made a tun, and so on. The previous world in the Mayan Long Count calendar ended after 13 b'ak'tuns, or roughly 5,125 years. This previous world ended on August 11, 3114 BC, and the current world was expected to end on December 21, 2012, marking the conclusion of another 13 b'ak'tuns.

The significance of this date in the Mayan calendar has been a subject of debate and interpretation. Mayanist and astronomer Maud Worcester Makemson wrote that the completion of 13 b'ak'tuns would have been of utmost significance to the Maya. Michael D. Coe, a Mayanist scholar, suggested that the end of the 13th b'ak'tun could signify "Armageddon" and the annihilation of the present universe. However, later researchers disputed this interpretation, arguing that it did not represent the end of the calendar or a prediction of impending doom. Mark Van Stone, a Mayanist scholar, stated that there is nothing in Mayan, Aztec, or ancient Mesoamerican prophecy to suggest a sudden or major change in 2012.

The prophecies and speculations surrounding the year 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar are often attributed to a collection of myths, legends, and New Age beliefs that are independent of academic scholarship. Brigitte Kovacevich, an SMU archeologist and expert on Maya culture, asserts that the idea of the Maya calendar calling for the end of the world in 2012 is inaccurate. Kovacevich explains that the Maya used multiple calendars, and only two monuments out of all Maya sites refer to 2012, using it as a rhetorical device rather than a prediction. Additionally, other monuments predict events thousands of years in the future, far beyond the completion of the 13th b'ak'tun.

In summary, while the end date of the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012, holds cultural and historical significance, it does not signify the end of the world as popularized in modern media and apocalyptic theories. The Mayan calendar and its end date are a reflection of the Maya's intricate timekeeping system and their unique perspective on the passage of time.

The Bolivian government's anti-capitalist stance

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a socialist country in central South America. It is the second-poorest country in South America and has been governed by democratically elected governments since 1982. Bolivia's multiparty democracy has seen a wide variety of parties in the presidency and parliament, although the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, Nationalist Democratic Action, and the Revolutionary Left Movement predominated from 1985 to 2005.

The Bolivian government has taken an anti-capitalist stance, calling for an end to capitalism to solve climate change. In its national climate action plan submitted to the United Nations, Bolivia steered away from setting an economy-wide carbon reduction goal and instead focused on ending illegal deforestation and increasing renewable energy. The plan blamed the "failed" capitalist system as the trigger for climate change, stating that it promotes consumerism, warmongering, and commercialism, which leads to the destruction of the planet and humanity.

Bolivia's anti-capitalist stance is also reflected in its call to make water a human right and its defense of universal common goods such as seas, oceans, and atmospheric space. The government has also implemented policies to support indigenous rights and improve social and economic conditions for its citizens. For example, in 2009, a new constitution changed the country's official name to the "Plurinational State of Bolivia" to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of the country and strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples.

Additionally, the Bolivian government has prioritized the production and consumption of local goods over American-style capitalism. This was demonstrated by the Bolivian Minister of External Affairs, David Choquehuanca, who promoted the consumption of Mocochinchi, a local beverage made from dried peaches, over Coca-Cola products.

Coca-Cola's secret recipe

Coca-Cola is a soft drink with a flagship cola flavour and a closely guarded recipe. The company's founder, Asa Candler, initiated the secrecy surrounding the formula in 1891 as a marketing and intellectual property protection strategy. Over the years, this has given rise to a trove of myths and legends, with competitors trying and failing to copy Coca-Cola's success.

The formula for Coca-Cola syrup, which is combined with carbonated water to create the final product, is a well-kept trade secret. Only a few select and anonymous employees are said to know the formula, and only two employees are allowed to know the complete formula at any given time. These two employees are not permitted to travel together, and when one dies, the other must choose a successor to pass on the secret. The identities of these employees are also kept confidential.

The formula has been altered since its inception. John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola, shared his original formula with at least four people before his death in 1888. In 1891, Asa Candler purchased the rights to the formula, made changes to the ingredients, and claimed that anyone with knowledge of Pemberton's original formula no longer knew the "real" formula. In 1903, cocaine was removed from the recipe, leaving caffeine as the sole stimulant ingredient.

The primary flavour of Coca-Cola is thought to come from vanilla and cinnamon, with trace amounts of essential oils and spices such as nutmeg. A 2014 study identified 58 aroma compounds in the top three US brands of cola, confirming significant amounts of compounds found in the essential oils of cinnamon, lemon, orange, neroli, coriander, nutmeg, and vanilla.

While the exact formula remains a secret, some ingredients have been revealed or speculated. These include:

• Sugar, in the form of high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose
• Caramel colouring
• Caffeine
• Phosphoric acid
• Essential oils such as orange, lime, lemon, and lavender
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Citric acid
• Lime juice
• Kola nut extract (in the past, but likely not in the current version)

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