"A visit to Potosí isn't complete without a visit to one of the cooperative mines. It's a shocking experience as the methods of working haven't changed much since the colonial times. Working conditions are terrible: most miners die of silicosis in their forties. Still, many people don't have another choice and around 10,000 people work in the mines. A tour starts with a visit to the miners' market to buy gifts for the miners like coca leaves, drinks, cigarettes or dynamite. You will then visit an ore refinery plant where the miners sell whatever deposits they manage to collect. Then you head to the mines, where a typical visit will have you walking and crawling through it for about 2~3 hours. You can talk, take photographs and share your gifts with the miners.
Taking a tour of one of the cooperative mines is still a good way to get a sense of the social price paid for the mineral wealth of the few. The dust is supposed to contain silicon that leads to silicosis (wear a disposable mask!) among the miners. Water dropping from the walls and ceiling is said to contain arsenic and cyanide. You can see asbestos fibers in the rock walls. Many of the mine props are snapped and on my tour in 2003 there was a minor ceiling cave-in that forced us to wait a bit before being able to exit the mine. One very interesting aspect of the mine was the little side chamber near the entrance to the mine that contained a statue of "El Tio," a diabolic figure that the miners make offerings to. They say that God may rule aboveground, but that El Tio is in charge down below.
There are many tour agencies in Potosí offering this tour, shop around before buying. The price is around 100bs for koala tours. Koala Tours, one of the oldest tour agencies, offers the tour for this price, for example. Koala Tours allow you to let off your own stick of dynamite on request! Greengo tours is 80bs. The ex-miners offer loads of information about the (history of the) mine. They don't do explosions just for tourists, but for the sake of the mine.
Hostal La Casona Potosi also offers safe visits to Cerro Rico.
People with claustrophobic tendencies, be wary, Silver Mine Tours 28/01/10, takes you deep into the guts of this rabbit warren of a mine. It seems the safety aspect is very low, actually totally missing." - Wikitravel
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A boy ready to tour the silver mine.
Dynamite - the white tubes.
(From my childhood memories, I thought dynamite was black powder. On the contrary, dynamite was grey and spongy like a plasticine clay.)
Buying Coca leaves for the miners.
Refinery factory.
Potosi Town
Entrance of the Silver mine
As the mine was in operation, whenever we heard sound of moving minecart, we had to find a place to stand to avoid getting hurt by the moving cart.
The miners were preparing dynamites.
(As it was a co-operative mine, there was no geologist involved or any central planning. These miners were blasting the mine based on experience, hence, it was not safe at all! Cave-in was a common occurrence in mine, and every year 60-80s miners died in the mine.)
We climbed a wooden ladder to an opening, and PY continued to climb up the slope to see the preparation of the blasting inside. I gave up the climb, as I could not breathe properly!!! It was so dusty and I was panting for air. Imagine this: Air was thin at 4000m elevation, the mine was enclosed with bad ventilation and the dust were all poisonous substances.
In the end, I took off my scarf (which was supposed to filter the dusty air like a mask), as I could not breathe!!!
There are some portion of the tunnels where we had to bend down and walk. There are other tunnels where I had to literally crawl upwards and downwards for 60-100m (I did not take any photos, as I was struggling). The surfaces are rough, as this is an operating mine, and you could get cut easily.
One of the miners.
He took off his clothes as it was really hot.
He looked at a thick silver ring on my finger and asked if it was silver.
I never knew that it was so difficult to extract silver (or any other minerals)
In general, a normal miner could earn 100Boliviano (S$20, US$16) each day (which was very high for an average Bolivian), and if he is lucky, he could earn up to US$5,000/week. In fact, they are exchanging their health for money. Most of the miners could work only 10-15years, after that, they would be too sick (due to the toxic air) with cancer or respiratory problems to work. Most of them die young. =(
The saddest part is that most of the miners do not have any financial planning. They would waste their hard-earned money on drinking and partying. It is a tough life. Our guide was an ex-miner.
Life as a miner was tough.
One of the toughest jobs in the world.
Giving way to the mine-cart.
Young miners (looks like 16 years old).
A lot of young guys joined mining after completing their high school to earn money.
We (the tourists) were lamenting that we should never complain about our jobs again.
And I would do see the importance of recycling even more now.
"Famed throughout Bolivia for its pretty, well-kept centre, and for its agreeable climate, Sucre – ‘la ciudad blanca’ or white city – is probably the most tranquila city in Bolivia (or perhaps South America). While it offers specific attractions in the form of historic buildings and renowned theatre as well as indigenous culture and prehistoric sites in the surrounding towns and countryside, the highlight of Sucre might be its relaxed atmosphere, which detains many travellers for far longer than expected."
Street of Sucre, which was touted as the most beautiful city in Bolivia.
It looks like Europe.
It is mandatory for all the buildings to paint white.
Wall
Fake Notes!
I kept it as a souvenir
20 Boliviano (S$4, US$3.20)
Local eatery
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