Potosi is a high city around 4000 meters high overhung by the Cerro Rico. Cerro Rico is the 4500 meters high mountain that overtakes everything around. Inside stands the mine, previously renowned by the Spanish for the silver they extracted, now for the hard work it is.
3 hours inside the hell
On the road to the mine
Being a miner
After waking up quite early, I got on into the bus with a group of six persons. Our first stop was at the intendancy. Inside a small patio, we changed our clothes against a mining suit, boots and a helmet with a lamp. In the meanwhile, the guide told me that the mine is dusty. Thus, I decided to buy a scarf for protecting my mouse and my nose. This green scarf was decorated with “El Tio”, the emblem of the mine.
Taking your gifts
We continued to our second stop the shop. It was a custom to buy some gifts for the miners we were going to meet. Gifts are mainly soda and coca leaves. However, it was also possible to buy equipment like helmet and gloves. Or even more crazy, dynamite kit. Yes, dynamite is selling freely inside the city, hopefully not for kids.
Reaching the top
After our shopping, we started the ascension of the Cerro Rico. During all way up, into this desert landscape, we saw the mining corporations with the miners staring into space. Finally, we arrived at 4500 meters high in front of the entrance. Here a group of miners is waiting. This day, they were not all allowed to work as the UNESCO was studying the mountain. Due to the hard work of the miner, the mountain is being degraded. Thus, UNESCO is looking if the mountain can keep it status.
Discovering the hardness
Following a team of miners
Wriggling inside the tunnels was very horrible. I got only 2 choices: continuing lacking oxygen while keeping my scarf, or removing my scarf and eating the dust. We suffered for only 2 hours, the miners do it from 8am to 6pm, 6 days a week. Sometimes more, as they are paid for the ore they extract. The more they work, the more they are paid.Miners start at different ages, but the younger ones can be around 17. On the other side, due to the tough conditions, the lifetime rarely overtakes 45 years old. The mine is divided in 12 corporations that are allowed to dig into the mountain. The mountain is still part of the state, so the state allows them to extract the mine. Miners, part of a corporation, manage a team. Teams can be small, around 3 people or bigger around 15 people. Usually, the bigger team are deeper into the mountain. A miner can be part of a corporation only 5 years after working already into the mine. On top of that, the miner should buy the equipment. For that reason, usually, it takes a longer time than the 5 years.Miners in a corporation have a health insurance. But miners without a corporation, so most of the miners, have nothing. Some miners are here only for a period. Those boys are working the day in the mine and studying in the night. They need the money of the mine for paying the study. I used the term boys because no girls are allowed inside the mine. Miners said they give bad luck.
Acting like a miner
With one of the mining group we met, we spent some times to see the job. This group was composed of three miners, thus it was a small group. The first mission is to drill into the rock so that to place the dynamites. The miners used a pneumatic drill. Although, helpful we still could see the pain and the difficulty of the task on their faces. After placing and lighting the dynamite, we ran away and wait for the detonation.
A first blast appeared, quite soft, it was the dynamite on the other side of the rock we were. Next, a second blast blew, much more stronger, all our body and the cave shook. Finally, the silence. After, we waited a few minutes for letting time to the dust to go down. When we came back, still dust and the rocks extracted lay down. Two miners cleared the ground while the other is sorting the rocks. A first heap for the good quality, a second one for the medium quality and a last one for the garbage.
Seized by the devil
About the Tio
The owner of the mine and emblem is called Tio. It is a kind of devil with horns and a big penis. The penis is the symbol of fertility. The human size statue of the Tio stands inside a chapel. Every first and last day of the week, miners pray for him. They ask chance for finding ore and surviving. During the ritual, they offer 96° alcohol and coca leaves to the Tio.
Feeling bad and end of afternoon
After this visit, I started to feel tired and bad. As I wanted to leave the day after, I needed to go the immigration office for adding one month to my visa. I spent 2 hours for finding this office, as there was no clear information and the building was hidden. The guy inside told me, he could do nothing before next week as the stamp is missing. Discouraged, my last force gave me up. I went to bed at 6pm, I woke up next day at 8am.
My feeling about it
Ethically: Do I want to do it ?
I hesitated quite a lot for doing it, I don’t like to pay for seeing people suffering. However, I was curious for understanding them and also the pain endured compared to my office type job. I won’t say it was a cool experience, it was only interesting. Actually, I found some tourists very disrespectful by taking many pictures of the miners working, it looked like Disneyland. Also, buy them gifts, they need it and I am not sure they are well paid for the tourist service.
Tour alright
Just some words about the tour with Koala Tour. The guide was an old miner. He gave us a lot of interesting information and always kept us in security. I only disagree with some show off: the guide absolutely wanted to show us dynamite explosion even if it delayed the miners’ work and gave us a piece of ore even if it is the miners’ revenue. Also, the meeting with miners are done only through the guide and not directly.
A charming city
Just some words about the city.
The city is worth seeing it. With beautiful colonial buildings, the city reminded me a lot Sucre. However, the narrow and crowded streets break the charm. Moreover, some streets, covered by buses are over polluted. Probably, I would have more enjoyed in the way Potosi to Sucre than the other one.
I did the money museum (Casa de la Moneda) for occupying my first afternoon. Although well noted on the internet, I was surprisingly disappointed by the museum. Not so much to see and poor explanations are the main reasons.