Morales was born into a peasant household on the Andean altiplano and later established himself in Chapare at the beginning of the coca boom. His career as a union leader took him away from agriculture and into politics, where he stood out for his criticism of the United States, whose anti-drug crusade meant the eradication of a cash crop for poor peasants.
莫拉莱斯出身于安第斯高原的一个农民家庭，其后在古柯繁荣的开始阶段在查帕雷站住了脚跟。工会领袖的身份让他得以脱离土地，进入政界，后又因对美国的尖锐批评而获得了广泛的关注，美国长期坚定不移的反毒斗争意味着要彻底根除古柯这种贫苦农民赖以维生的经济作物。