Simón Iturri Patiño

Who is Simón Iturri Patiño?

Simon Iturri Patino was a Bolivian businessman who rose from modest origins to become one of the wealthiest men in the world during the early twentieth century, earning the nickname "the Andean Rockefeller" or "the Tin King". He began working as a clerk and prospector in the mining regions of Bolivia and, after acquiring a stake in the Uncia mine in the department of Potosi, discovered exceptionally rich tin deposits that transformed his fortune. He built an enormous vertically integrated tin empire spanning mining, smelting, and international distribution, with operations extending into Europe. His company, Patino Mines and Enterprises, became one of the largest tin producers on earth and gave him enormous influence over Bolivia's economy, since tin exports were the backbone of the national economy for much of the twentieth century. He eventually relocated much of his business and family life to Europe, and his mining holdings were nationalized by the Bolivian government following the 1952 National Revolution. His life remains a central case study in the economic and social history of Bolivian mining.

Sources: Manuel Contreras and other economic historians on Bolivian tin mining (20th century) · Records of Patino Mines and Enterprises Consolidated · Bolivian national mining nationalization decrees (1952)