In the shadow of Cerro Ricco in Potosi

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Uyuni didn’t look any less depressing after a nights sleep - it was just much muddier as the thaw was well advanced, It was actually the first large town in Bolivia that we had been to that had predominately dirt streets - we had been expecting to see many more then we had, The roads connecting all the main towns were mostly surfaced as well, It wasn’t long ago that only 200 kilometres of main roads were paved. The bus was late leaving and we spent the time trying to dodge the drips coming from all the roofs - they were heavier than rain. There was total chaos on the street which served as the bus station as the previous day most of he buses out of the town had been cancelled due to road closures from mud and snow. Eventually we left and were surprised to still see snow lining the road side for the first hour of the trip. The surrounding hills were dusted with a sprinkling of snow as well.
The bus was taking us to Potosi, one of the world’s highest city, at 4000 meters above sea level. It was also at one stage one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the Americas after massive deposits of silver were find in the mid 16th century, History records that once even the horses were shoed with silver as it was more available in the city then iron. Today the main mineral mined is tin. We had heard many differing reports of the city from other travellers and were a little uncertain what to expect. After Uyuni we figured it could only get better. The drive seemed to take much longer then six hours - the scenery was wonderful but I guess we were still tired from our long days in the jeep. Thankfully we had a hotel room booked in Potosi and once we set off to explore the city we were pleasantly surprised. The city is UNESCO listed and the historical area was lined with some lovely old wooden Spanish buildings - most with balconies overhanging the cobbled streets. We had coffee in a café with such a balcony and the floor of the balcony had a very definite slope downwards! From most parts of the city you can see the pink slopes of Cerro Ricco (rich mountain), the 700 meter high mountain which is honeycombed with mining tunnels. Our hotel was next to the two adjoining main plazas and they were great for people watching. We spent a lot of time there over the next few days enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice and basking in the sun.
The main tourist activity in Potosi is tours of the mines. We chose not to go on one for a few reasons - I’m a little claustrophobic and we really had no desire to go below and photograph the miners and their shocking work conditions. We did however visit the mine face and also a silver processing plant. There are hundreds of small mines and one large mining co-operative operating there. The conditions under which the 10,000 miners work are medieval and very dangerous. Many children also work in the smaller mines though the large mine officially doesn’t allow them to. The dust in the mines causes silicosis and most miners die of the disease before the age of 50. Water dripping from the walls and ceiling is said to contain arsenic and cyanide. The miners still use dynamite which is an added danger due to the fact that since the depletion of the main mine tunnels the miners are now digging and blasting into the mine supports. It was a humbling experience though we only saw a little of the conditions. The miners get through their long days underground by chewing cocoa leaves and drinking an alcohol which is 98% proof. Around the base of the mountain were the miners houses - dirt roads and tiny rough red brick houses. The miners work 12 hour shifts and most walk to and from the mines which adds another few hours to their days. They all worship the diabolic looking miners God "El Tio," leaving him offerings of alcohol, cigarettes and cocoa leaves. He was the same ugly image that we saw in the mining museum tunnels in Oruro.
We visited the miners market and bought bags of cocoa leaves, dynamite and other mining implements as presents for the miners before we visited the silver processing plant. The silver mined now is very low grade and a lot of ore has to processed to get a very small amount of silver from it. The plant was old, dirty and noisy - the insulation used on the walls were egg cartons! There are still 35 small processing plants in Potosi. When we booked the tour the guide said that he was very pleased that I hadn’t wanted to go underground as he would have been reluctant to sell me a ticket - he said that they weren’t places he would like his mother to visit. There was a couple in their forties on our tour - they went into the mine - but told us later that they didn’t stay there for long and requested to come out. We bought an American made documentary called ‘The Devil’s Miner’ which may be available in Australia about the mining industry here - please watch it if you ever get the opportunity.
Later that afternoon we visited the lovely Museo & Convento de Santa Teresa, a Carmelite order which was founded in 1685. One of the nuns who still lives there was an architect before joining the order and she supervised the restoration of the convent. We are both addicted to these beautiful buildings - we love the arches and internal courtyards. It was a wonderfully informative guided tour - to be a second daughter of wealthy families in the not so distant past meant your fate was to become a nun (it was considered a privilege in those days - for the family if not for the poor girl!) Their parents gave the church a large dowry, the girls said goodbye to them at 15 years old and never actually saw them again. Once a month they could speak, but not touch or see them, through a dark grill. What a life! The museum was wonderfully restored and fully furnished. I don't think I've ever seen so much gilt work - it was magnificent - rooms of glowing gold altars and painted ceilings. Beautiful...The nuns currently living there make sweets to sell - the coconut ice was yummy…
We were lucky enough to find a great café/bar across the road from our hotel as the evenings were bitterly cold! The streets were fun to explore, very narrow and we bumped into our companions from the Salar tour. We checked out the Cathedral - closed for services as it has been under renovation for the last 5 years. They are hoping to open it again late this year. We were allowed to wander at will around the work site which was littered with cables and planks - certainly work and safety laws in Australia wouldn’t allow that. We climbed up onto the roof of the church and had a fabulous 360* view of the city and surrounds. The man collecting the entrance fee came up to practice his English and told us a lot about the history of the town and insisted on taking our photos under the heavy church bell.
After the usual three hour lunch closure - we will never get used to every thing shutting down at midday - we toured the Casa Nacional de Moneda, a museum housed in the old National Mint where all silver mined in Potosi was brought to be turned into ingots so the Spanish rulers could tax it. It was a massive building - 160 rooms of which we saw only a few - which still contained most of the equipment used to press the old silver currency coins. At one stage nearly all the coins used in South America were made here. We also saw a display of a group of mummified bodies - some children - which though interesting was rather sad as well. Anyway it was a lovely museum - considered rightly one of the best in Bolivia. Over the entrance to the central courtyard is a huge grinning mask - put there as an ironic gesture in 1865 after the Spanish fled the city. We thoroughly enjoyed Potosi - it was a very interesting city. Next day we left by shared taxi for the white city of Sucre where Devin lived as an exchange student in 1996. We were really looking forward to visiting Sucre and the family who took him into their home and treated him as a member of their family.

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Photos

Press used to make Religios hosts
The large ones rae for the Priests

Silver artifacts in the mint museum
I love the armidillo!