The Christmas Massacre, known in Spanish as Masacre de Navidad, was a December 1996 event in Potosí Department, Bolivia that caused the death of eleven people.
On March 15, 1996, two gold mines in the towns of Amayapampa and Capasirca were sold by the Yaksic and Garafulic families to Da Capo Resources of Canada.
[2] In response to the demands and the mine's takeover, and under direction of the government of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, over 3,000 military and police were mobilised to evict the protestors.
[1] The responding force included 1,000 members of the Grupo Especial de Seguridad (English: Special Security Group), the Unidad Polivalentes Antimotines (Multipurpose Anti-Riot Unit) and UMOPAR.
[1] Ownership of the mine transferred to the Singaporean company Lion Gold subsidiary Minera Nueva Vista SA in 2012.