The mine in Potosi

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Shoot what a hardout day!!! I can't even describe how tough the conditions are here, basically it made me realize that I've never even come close to working hard in my life and that these guys are hardnox!!! Thousands and thousands of people have died in this mine over the 70 odd years it's been open through health problems from the acidic air and apsestos down there or by accidents, and now the average life expectancy of a miner is 15yrs, so when some of them are starting at 12/13yrs of age it's not looking good for the population of Potosi. It's a really cool city though, it's just a shame that so many peoples lives are caught up full time in this mine so they can't really enjoy what they have around them.

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Photos

Cocoa leaves and ciggarettes
These things along with Dynamite and 96% alcohol drinks are the more popular presants that you buy for the miners that you visit while you're down there

Solo wifes at work outside the mine
There are about 400 woman that work 8hrs a day, 6days a week outside the mines searching through the rejected rocks for traces of silver and bronze or anything else that they could cash in. Both of these ladies husbands died about 20 years ago due to health problems, and the oldest one has been working the mine for 41yrs! They have to work because the super annuation system doesn't payout if the father dies

One of over 200 hundred entrances to the mine
Every friday they kill a LLama outside the mine and splash the blood over the doorway for good luck before having a big feed

Watch your step
This is a good bit of the tunnel because you've got a bit of headroom

A miner hard at work
Not the easiest position to be swinging on the end of a hammer with a mouth full of cocoa leaves and no descent air to breathe, and the whole time hoping like hell that you picked a good spot to plant a bomb. If it's a hard rock it can take them a full day(10-12hrs) to finish the hole

Me having a go in a not so akward posotion
I was stuffed after about 20 blows because you can hardly breathe down there. I honestly don't know how they do it all day long, I guess being drunk and slightly high off cocoa leaves probably helps them out a bit

The Devil of the Mine
Every they made this statue of the Devil so that they could give him presents evry time they walk past him, in the hope that he will look after them while they're down in his territory. They give him cocoa leaves and ciggarettes, and then every friday arvo when they knock off work they all sit around and get drunk with him.

A better then average view on the bus between Uyuni and Potosi
A hot Sweedish chick wasn't exactly who I was expecting to be sitting next to on my firdt bus ride in Bolivia

Comments

[klh]

mining for what?
Quick question, what are they mining for here? Nice photos.