Potosi Silver Mine

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This morning we went on a silver mine tour. After putting on our gear (bright yellow clothing, boots (and plastic bag around each foot), hard hat and head lamp), we went to the miners’ market to get some supplies for the miners we were to visit. We bought a ‘kit’ containing a bag of coca leaves, an alkaline stick, usually made from the ashes of quinoa plant to activate the alkaloids, a pack of cigarettes, drinks and dynamites. Each stick of dynamite was $15 Bs, consisting of nitroglycerin paste, ammonium nitrate and a fuse. We could no longer explode the dynamites but that’s probably a good thing. We also bought cheap surgical masks that are supposed to prevent inhalation of toxic stuff down in the mine but likely don’t.

I think most of the miners know that they will get silicosis +/- asbestosis and other related lung disease after working the mines for many years but the working condition has not improved much. Apparently the current Bolivian president Morales came to Potosi and promised improved working conditions in the hope of getting their votes, but nothing has changed. Surprising? I think not. None of the miners I saw wore proper respirators and occasionally some might use bandanas, but in the hot areas of the mine many worked topless because the temperature was too high.

As soon as we entered the narrow mine shaft, my boots started taking in water walking through mud puddles. The first miner we ran into was a 15-year-old boy drilling holes with hand tools to place dynamites. Julio, our guide, and an active part-time miner, led us down to the third level, often walking with back bent forward to duck the low ceilings, pointing out the various minerals that are in the mountain, including iron, silver, sulphur, fool’s gold and a bunch of others I don’t remember. Basically rocks containing silver ore are removed, put into trolleys and manually pushed to the surface, and trucked away to ingenios (smelters) for processing. At one place we were at the temperature was as high as 40C.

On the way out we passed a Devil sitting in a small niche along the passageway. Outside the mines the miners are Catholics but inside they believe in the devil (Tio for Uncle or Supay for God of Death in Aymara, but never Diablo) and Pachamama (mother earth). In order to appease Tio, they set up a ceramic Devil figurine and make offerings to him every Friday to invoke his good will and protection. They believe that in order to have a rich supply of minerals they have to keep both Pachamama and Tio happy. Our guide demonstrated the process –


Coca leaves on Tio’s shoulder for strength, his penis for fertility and richness of minerals, and some on his hands/feet for the safety of the miners. Some are laid out on the ground for Pachamama.Repeat with 96%!g(MISSING)rain alcohol with the guide taking a sip afterLight a cigarette, take a puff, and put it in Tio’s mouthApparently in June miners sacrifice llamas outside the mines and spray their blood over the ground to appease Pachamama to ensure a rich mineral supply. We saw a llama fetus at the feet of Tio.


The mine tour was definitely an eye-opening experience and it’s no exaggeration that this is a job from hell!

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