Cerro Rico, Potosi

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Where do I start with Potosi? At 4100m above sea level it is officially the highest city in the world and the only reason that it is habituated I’m sure is because of the Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) which is the richest source of silver in the world.

Potosi is a mining city and family’s generation after generation will become miners.

It is definitely one of the strangest places that I have been but also the mining tour was not what I could say enjoyable in the slightest. In the seventeenth century it was far bigger than Madrid and due to the wealth there were African slaves brought in to mine the area but a lot died as the conditions were so bad.

1) You can buy dynamite legally at any age in Potosi and children are taught from a young age how to use it. (All for the cost of a less than a pound per stick)

2) Miners can earn anything from a few dollars a week up to a guy who just found recently a dense silver area and he has over 400 people working from him and is bring in approx US$15,000 - $40,000 per week. In Bolivia he would be the equivalent of Bill Gates to America

3) Due to the mining there is a lot of wealth in Potosi with real infrastructure of roads and several flash American motors being drove.

4) The mines are owned by the workers and generally you will start at the age of 12 and potentially have to retire in your 40´s due to respiratory problems (90% of people) and therefore you can imagine the life expectancy isn’t great here.

5) Due to the altitude the tour really showed the nasty conditions that these people work in 12 hours a day and up to 7 days a week depending on how much work there maybe or just how low they are in the pecking order. Like most jobs you start at the bottom and work your way up.

6) Before entering into the tour I signed my life away with the usual disclaimer stating that there is a high risk of being hit by a speeding mine trolley, falling rocks or cave ins which is how most miners die when there has been an accident. Great! The dust gases and arsenic are the slow killers so we didn’t have to worry about these too much.

Seeing 13 year old boys working in these inhuman conditions is not likely something that I will forget and the miners are interestingly proud of their hardship.

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Photos

MineTour
Me enjoying a bite of dynamite for lunch

MineTour
Maurits squeezing through the tunnels from one level to another (it´s a very tight squeeze I promise you)

MineTour
Not only did I have to pay for the tour but they also had me working! I´ve never grafted that hard back home

MineTour
The real workers

Comments

[emawhax]

yo bird
totaly enjoying your reports babe so good to see you on your pics , you make me chukkle everytime i read them thats me babi miss you like mad em xxxxx

[lisa bx]

Mines
never grafted sooo hard .... Nat you neva grafted tehehehehehe! (I am work at the mo tho ... so who am i to talk)