Potosí and mining in Cerro Rico

Potosi competes with other cities for the title: highest city in the world, at 4060m above sea level. Remember Litang in China, 4200m above sea level? One could say that Litang is more of a village whereas Potosi is a real city but this discussion I leave to the experts. As a result, Potosi has the highest restaurant, the highest brewery and probably many other highest things as well. Potosi’s history is closely linked to the mining industry and Cerro Rico, where silver was found in the 15^th century. Since then, millions of people have worked in the mines, and millions have died there as well due to accidents or poor working conditions. Today, the silver deposits have all been extracted but more than 20.000 miners still work in the mountain to extract other minerals such as zinc. The conditions have improved a little with the use of electricity and the protection equipments, but they are still appalling: most of the work is done by hand, temperatures are extreme and the workers are exposed to noxious gases.

After visiting the city, I book a tour to the mines…

Johnny, our guide, is an ex-miner. He has worked nine years in the mine before becoming a guide. Before setting off, we get a full miner’s outfit: boots, solid pants, a jacket and a bag in which we can keep our water and gifts for the miners: lemonade, alcohol and coca leaves. Then we enter the mine… It is dark, muddy and narrow. Our guide moves quickly, we try to follow through the many tunnels. Up a slippery rope just next to a 30m deep hole, down a ladder standing on one leg. No wonder there are accidents here. Then Johnny asks us if someone bought dynamite. Yes, someone did, niiice, we can set it off. One of the miners dig a hole in the rock, prepares the explosives and asks us to move away. We wait, then we hear a huge bang and the whole mountain shakes. I shake too… The rest of the visit we socialize with the miners. They open up the bottle of 96° alcohol, mix it with some lemonade and share it with us. We are not allowed to say no, that is an offence. A little bit for Pachamama, the rest for us. The miners also chew coca leaves, every day a bag. It helps against altitude sickness and helps them concentrate. One miner is called Spaghetti, he has worked 15 years in the mine. Another one has basically dedicated his whole life to the mine, 35 years, and when we ask him if he likes it, the answer is YES, he needs the money to support his women, he has 5 of them.

The boys start working in the mine when they are strong enough, somewhere between 14 and 16 and when they don’t die of lung diseases or accidents, they continue as long as they can.

Before leaving the mine, Johnny show us a statue of El Tio, the spirit owner of the mountain. According to miner’s traditions, he rules over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. Miners leave offerings for El Tío—tobacco, liquor, coca leaves—in hopes that he will spare their lives.

Have a look at the film: Devil’s miner if you are interested.

photos Potosí