Cerro Rico. Potosi, Bolivia.
From Wikipedia:
"Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico ("Rich mountain"), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city."
One of the things that makes travel in South and Central America different from places like the US and Europe is there are fewer regulations regarding what one can and cannot do to put themselves at risk. If you want to stack 10 people in the back of a pickup truck and drive at 75 mph, go ahead. If you want to climb the rickety ladders all the way to the top of the church bells 15 stories up, you can. In Potosí, if you want to take a tour through a still active old school silver mine and roll the dice like the thousands of Bolivian miners do every day, it only costs $10.
Ex-miners provide explosive demonstrations outside the mine, talk about the history of the mines and the lives of miners, and then lead groups through one of the mines for a couple of hours. But first we visited the miners market to buy some gifts for the miners. In the market you can buy dynamite, coca leaves, protective gear, and various other items that either make the mining occupation safer or just more bearable, like 99% pure alcohol.
I have never been claustrophobic before in my life. I have been in some really tight spaces before with no easy way out and felt very calm and relaxed. Once we entered the mine my body and mind started to conspire against me. The air was very thin at this altitude, and in the mine the dust was thick, making breathing very difficult. I felt a tinge of anxiety that I was managing quite well at the moment. The mine shaft was wide in places, and very tight in others. There were thick cables running along the walls which we were warned not to touch because they were carrying live current. In certain spots it was almost impossible to not rub up against them.
There were about 14 people in our tour with two guides and three assistants. The assistants were there to escort people out of the mine if necessary. The size of this group only helped to limit the amount of space in the mine, and 28 feets kicked up lots of dust. My anxiety was starting to get on top of me. We had been in the mine for a short 15 minutes.
We stopped to chat with some young miners who were resting. They were 13 and 15 years old and their fathers and brothers were also working in the mines. The guides and most of the miners speak Quechua as their first language. It was a nice opportunity to have a seat on a pile of rocks, and try to relax and not think about the walls caving in, trapping you, and slowly asphyxiating with people screaming all around you. The difficult breathing, heat, lack of space and size of the group was driving me crazy.
The little break ended and we had already lost two people to fear. We had been in the mine for about 25 minutes and we were still on the first level. Once we were all ready and about to move a Swiss woman asked to be escorted out, that made three people who chose to leave the mine.
We moved on and came to a small dark hole in the earth that led down to the second level. When I saw the hole something happened inside me. I couldn't handle the anxiety anymore, I turned around and stated that I was leaving, making it clear that if someone did not escort me out right away, I would find my own way out. We had been in the mine for less than 45 minutes.
Two more people joined me in leaving.
It was a quick retreat, taking only 5 minutes or so to reach the exit. I was happy to be out, but also a little (seriously, only a tiny bit) disappointed in myself for not pushing through the fear. The others spent another hour and a half in the mine going down to level 4 and even experiencing a dynamite blast which we felt on the surface.
Mining is hereditary amongst the men of families. Father take their sons into the mines when they are as young as eight years old to be errand runners. Miners have a very short life expectancy with silicosis being the usual cause of death but having a lot of help from accidents, and the hard living that accompanies the lifestyle outside the mines.
Cerro Rico
Llama blood. Llama are sacrificed as offerings to Tio, the devil god who oversees and protects the miners. The miners say the more Llama blood that is split means less miners blood. The llama blood is splashed all over the entrance to the mine and everything else around it.
Dynamite for sale in the miners market.
Miners pushing a mineral cart back into the mine after dumping it.
Miners inside one of the miners shelters where they can rest during long shifts. Sometimes shifts can exceed 24 hours. The green bags contain coca leaves which helps the miners battle fatigue, hunger, and altitude.
Miners inside the mine on their way out with a mineral cart weighing one ton.
The exit to the surface.
The devil god, Tio inside the mine near the entrance.
"Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico ("Rich mountain"), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city."
One of the things that makes travel in South and Central America different from places like the US and Europe is there are fewer regulations regarding what one can and cannot do to put themselves at risk. If you want to stack 10 people in the back of a pickup truck and drive at 75 mph, go ahead. If you want to climb the rickety ladders all the way to the top of the church bells 15 stories up, you can. In Potosí, if you want to take a tour through a still active old school silver mine and roll the dice like the thousands of Bolivian miners do every day, it only costs $10.
Ex-miners provide explosive demonstrations outside the mine, talk about the history of the mines and the lives of miners, and then lead groups through one of the mines for a couple of hours. But first we visited the miners market to buy some gifts for the miners. In the market you can buy dynamite, coca leaves, protective gear, and various other items that either make the mining occupation safer or just more bearable, like 99% pure alcohol.
I have never been claustrophobic before in my life. I have been in some really tight spaces before with no easy way out and felt very calm and relaxed. Once we entered the mine my body and mind started to conspire against me. The air was very thin at this altitude, and in the mine the dust was thick, making breathing very difficult. I felt a tinge of anxiety that I was managing quite well at the moment. The mine shaft was wide in places, and very tight in others. There were thick cables running along the walls which we were warned not to touch because they were carrying live current. In certain spots it was almost impossible to not rub up against them.
There were about 14 people in our tour with two guides and three assistants. The assistants were there to escort people out of the mine if necessary. The size of this group only helped to limit the amount of space in the mine, and 28 feets kicked up lots of dust. My anxiety was starting to get on top of me. We had been in the mine for a short 15 minutes.
We stopped to chat with some young miners who were resting. They were 13 and 15 years old and their fathers and brothers were also working in the mines. The guides and most of the miners speak Quechua as their first language. It was a nice opportunity to have a seat on a pile of rocks, and try to relax and not think about the walls caving in, trapping you, and slowly asphyxiating with people screaming all around you. The difficult breathing, heat, lack of space and size of the group was driving me crazy.
The little break ended and we had already lost two people to fear. We had been in the mine for about 25 minutes and we were still on the first level. Once we were all ready and about to move a Swiss woman asked to be escorted out, that made three people who chose to leave the mine.
We moved on and came to a small dark hole in the earth that led down to the second level. When I saw the hole something happened inside me. I couldn't handle the anxiety anymore, I turned around and stated that I was leaving, making it clear that if someone did not escort me out right away, I would find my own way out. We had been in the mine for less than 45 minutes.
Two more people joined me in leaving.
It was a quick retreat, taking only 5 minutes or so to reach the exit. I was happy to be out, but also a little (seriously, only a tiny bit) disappointed in myself for not pushing through the fear. The others spent another hour and a half in the mine going down to level 4 and even experiencing a dynamite blast which we felt on the surface.
Mining is hereditary amongst the men of families. Father take their sons into the mines when they are as young as eight years old to be errand runners. Miners have a very short life expectancy with silicosis being the usual cause of death but having a lot of help from accidents, and the hard living that accompanies the lifestyle outside the mines.
Cerro RicoLlama blood. Llama are sacrificed as offerings to Tio, the devil god who oversees and protects the miners. The miners say the more Llama blood that is split means less miners blood. The llama blood is splashed all over the entrance to the mine and everything else around it.Dynamite for sale in the miners market.Miners pushing a mineral cart back into the mine after dumping it.Miners inside one of the miners shelters where they can rest during long shifts. Sometimes shifts can exceed 24 hours. The green bags contain coca leaves which helps the miners battle fatigue, hunger, and altitude.Miners inside the mine on their way out with a mineral cart weighing one ton.The exit to the surface.The devil god, Tio inside the mine near the entrance.
posted by Michael Simon at 7/01/2006 11:37:00 AM
6 Comments:
National Geographic stuff---good pics
Just saw a documentary on PBS a couple of weeks ago on a show called Independent Lens about the child miners at this mine. It was very interesting. Love your and Megan's Travel Blog and photos. My husband and I are hooked on it. Love the descriptions of food and observations of the people and other travelers. I do miss your sleeping dogs south of the border though. Don't think Ive seen any pictures of this since Mexico. We are planning a trip to Ecuador and Peru next summer and have enjoyed the tips and info. Jan from Mississippi.
Hey Jan!
Thanks for the kind words.
I do need to post some more sleeping dog photos. I know I have taken some in the past few months. One dog in Nazca, Peru came after me when I got too close...
Ecuador and Peru are great, so loaded with many things to do. Be sure to spend some quality time in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Beautiful photos. I just saw that documentary about the miners. I was thinking I wouldn't be able to go down into such a place---- and you did it! I take my hat off to you.
Great blog. I found it while looking for info about how to pay for the children's schooling so they could stay out of the mines. Any tips?
Hey thanks, Jo
I didn't last too long in the mine, it was too much for me.
From what little I know about miners and their children is that most of the miners are down there so that their kids will not have to go. One story I heard about an encyclopedia seller who always pays a visit to the mine, because she sells a ton of books to the miners. They buy them for their kids, to help educate them, to hopefully push them beyond the mines.
I think if you want to learn about programs geared towards miners and their children you should contact Koala Tours in Potosí. They are a tour company that employs a lot of ex miners as guides, as allegedly they contribute a portion of the money from the mine tours to the miners various funds. I would guess they could help, or at least direct you to someone who knows whats up.
Good Luck.
Great photos Mike,
If you ever happen back, try to find, photograph and interview any who may remain from the old Siglo XX labor wars. These people and their histories should not simply fade away, should not become one more moment of 'nobody knew'.
Oh, by the way, those level to level black holes can be tricky. I recall one in a Mexican mine which, as the wooden ladder gave way, provided me more than a back ache. Other hand, falling through the dark with no idea of how far or what the bottom will be is a truly interesting experience.
Su amigo
Juan de la O
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